Luang Por Chot, former abbot of the famous royal temple Wat Phutthaisawan in Ayutthaya, has been arrested on suspicion of embezzling temple donations and money laundering, with a scandal involving sexual relations with female devotees shocking Thai society.
Police arrested Chot and a 47-year-old female devotee, surnamed Punyavee, on September 10 after an anonymous tip-off in July. Investigators found that donations totalling over 100 million baht collected in the temple's name were not deposited into temple accounts, with at least 92 million baht suspected of being misappropriated.
A search across six locations in Ayutthaya, Bangkok, Pathum Thani and Buriram uncovered additional assets worth about 215 million baht (HK$50.9 million), including over 138 million baht in cash, and gold bars and jewellery worth about 70 million baht.
The Anti-Corruption Criminal Court has approved a 12-day detention for both suspects, denying bail. Chot has since been defrocked.
Local residents said Chot had close relationships with three women, including a skincare company owner believed to be his ex-wife and a woman from Buriram. Police also revealed that Chot had worked as a spirit medium before becoming a monk, which may explain his reputation for accurate fortune-telling.
