Buddhist Monk Pictured on Private Jet Has Assets Frozen

The Telegraph
July 4, 2013

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/thailand/10157509/Buddhist-monk-picture-on-private-jet-has-assets-frozen.html

A Thai Buddhist monk who drew criticism after being pictured on a private jet surrounded by high-end fashion accessories has had his financial assets frozen over allegations of money-laundering and fraud.

Luang Pu Nenkham Chattigo, the flamboyant abbot of the Khantitham Forest Monastery, has been barred from transferring money out his bank accounts by Thailand's Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO).

The monk has been attracted attention ever since a video of him flying a private jet while wearing aviator sunglasses, carrying a Louis Vuitton bag went viral last month. A widely-circulated photograph of him lying next to an apparently naked woman caused further outrage in Thailand, which has the world's largest Buddhist population, and where monks are supposed to be celibate.

The abbot has since been accused of fathering two children and having sexual relationships with at least eight women.

AMLO ordered that 16 bank accounts held by the monk and his associates be frozen after discovering that typical daily transactions involved around 200 million Baht (?4 million). 10 of the accounts are held in the abbot's name.

"I want to warn the Luang Pu Nenkham network and Luang Pu himself that they can't move assets in the bank accounts because doing so will immediately fall into the category of money-laundering," said Police Captain Suwanee Sawaengphol, the deputy secretary-general of AMLO.