Buddhist monk arrested in suspected $3m embezzlement scandal

Thai police have arrested a Buddhist monk on suspicion of embezzling 100 million baht from his monastery, along with a suspected female accomplice he was filmed having sex with. Phra Wachirayan Wi, a former abbot at the prominent Wat Phutthaisawan in Ayutthaya, allegedly pocketed donations meant for the temple on more than 20 occasions over two years. In Thailand, Buddhist monks take a vow of celibacy and renounce material possessions. He was defrocked after his arrest. He has yet to comment publicly. The latest arrests come just over a year after another sex-and-blackmail case involving senior monks rocked Thailand's monastic community. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul reportedly owns some of the coin amulets created by the 66-year-old monk. Thailand's Buddhist institution has long been plagued with reports of monks breaking their vow of celibacy, trafficking drugs, and committing financial crimes. Police identified two streams of money linked to donation receipts Phra Wachirayan had issued in the temple's name - one for temple renovations, the other for amulets and other sacred objects. But the money from both streams did not enter the temple's account. Police found cash and gold bars worth more than 100 million baht while raiding Phra Wachirayan's residence on Thursday. A clip of him having sex with a woman was found on his dining table. Authorities identified the woman as 47-year-old Punyavee Rungrueang, who has been arrested on charges of abetting a state official in illegal activities. Police seized 35 gold amulets, along with about 1.5kg of gold bars and jewellery, worth an estimated 6.04 million baht from Punyavee's home. Police believe Punyavee helped Phra Wachirayan manage his embezzled proceeds, noting that tens of millions of baht circulated through her bank accounts each year. Thailand's government provides stipends to many monks, making them state officials. The country's monastic community is currently reeling from a series of scandals, with many monks accused of breaking their vow of celibacy and engaging in financial wrongdoing.