Police say they are gathering evidence to determine if any embezzlement has taken place at Wat Phra Bat Nam Phu, which operates a world-famous shelter for HIV/Aids patients in Lop Buri.
Investigators have found some inconsistencies in the information provided by a man who managed donations for the temple, according to Pol Maj Gen Jaroonkiat Pankaew, deputy commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB).
He referred to accounts from a Thai influencer who has claimed to be able to communicate with ghosts and has a large online following. Seksan Sapsubbsakul aka Mor Bee, has managed cash donations that are earmarked for treatment of HIV patients under the care of Wat Phra Bat Nam Phu.
Pol Maj Gen Jaroonkiat said that initially Mor Bee told police that he kept some of the donations and forwarded the remainder to Phra Alongkot, the abbot of the temple.
Later, the deputy CIB chief said, Mor Bee told police that he handed all the donations to the abbot.
Apart from the inconsistent answers from Mor Bee, police also wondered why he had to withdraw cash and hand it to the abbot instead of transferring donations between bank accounts directly without carrying cash, Pol Maj Gen Jaroonkiat said.
The handover of donations through cash withdrawals was unusual, he said.
Regardless of Mor Bee’s differing accounts, police would adhere to the concrete evidence they were collecting, the deputy commissioner said.
He said that police had not yet decided if they would question Phra Alongkot.
“Police will take time for a thorough investigation to ensure justice for everyone, Pol Maj Gen Jaroonkiat said.
Wat Phra Bat Nam Phu has gained a high profile in Thailand and worldwide as a refuge for HIV/Aids patients, having treated thousands over the past three decades. But with that high profile — and large-scale fundraising — have come questions.
A Bangkok Post investigation in 2014 looked into suspicions that some HIV/Aids patients were deliberately left to deteriorate, and their frail state used as a tool to get sympathy and solicit donations, something temple officials have denied.
