PATHUM THANI, Sept 17 (TNA) – A prominent Buddhist temple in Thailand has denied allegations of financial misconduct, with its lawyers saying a large money transfer to a former lay trustee in Germany was for establishing a charity, not for personal use. The temple is now suing the woman for alleged embezzlement.
In a press conference on Tuesday, lawyers for Wat Na Pa Pong said a 12-million-baht (about $370,000) transfer to a Thai woman living in Germany was a legitimate step to found a Buddhist foundation. They called the accusations of impropriety against the abbot, Phra Ajahn Khukrit, an attempt to discredit him.
The legal team said the woman, who was entrusted with managing the German legal and financial process, is now the subject of a lawsuit filed by the temple in a German court. The temple is seeking to recover funds it claims she embezzled.
The lawyers added that the woman filed a counter-suit against the abbot, but German prosecutors, who investigated money laundering charges against the abbot, later dismissed the case.
The lawyers also addressed viral video clips suggesting a close relationship between the abbot and a woman, calling them deliberately edited to create misunderstanding.-819 (TNA)
