The facts
Police in Thailand arrested Phra Wachirayan Wi, the 66-year-old abbot of Wat Phutthaisawan, on Thursday. He faces charges including embezzlement and money laundering. A 47-year-old woman, accused of assisting in converting and concealing the money, was also arrested. Lead investigator Pattanasak Bupphasuwan stated that police began investigating Phra Wachirayan in mid-July following an anonymous tip. Pattanasak said that approximately 89 million baht ($2.7 million) donated for temple renovations and another 2.8 million baht from payments for amulets did not enter the temple's account. Authorities seized assets worth about 215 million baht, including gold bars, jewelry, and land deeds. Nattasak Chaowanasai, commissioner of Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau, stated the investigation will expand to identify others involved and restore public confidence. The abbot was defrocked shortly after his arrest.
Our take
Let's get this straight. A monk who renounces material possessions managed to misplace $2.8 million in donations for temple renovations and sacred amulets. Not a single baht made it to the temple's account. This isn't a clerical error; it's a fucking heist. The only thing flowing into that temple was apparently this guy's dick, as evidenced by the widely broadcast CCTV footage of him and his 47-year-old accomplice going at it on a table. So much for the vow of celibacy.
Police seized assets worth 215 million baht, including 16kg of gold bars and 28 land deeds. That's a lot of bling for a man who owns nothing. It turns out his sacred objects business was less about spiritual protection and more about laundering cash into shiny fucking bricks. The prime minister himself reportedly wore this guy's amulets. What was the blessing? 'May your portfolio be as diversified as mine'?
This is the latest in a string of clergy scandals, following last year's case where a woman blackmailed eleven monks for nearly $12 million after having sex with them. At this point, the Thai monastic community's financial oversight seems to be handled by a horny mob accountant with a CCTV fetish. The commissioner says they want to restore public confidence in Buddhism. Good fucking luck. The next donation box might need a disclaimer: 'Funds may be used for table procurement and gold bar storage.'
He was defrocked after his arrest. The robe came off, but the real question is what the hell was he wearing it for in the first place? The only vow he kept was to never let a good grift go to waste.
