Monk Phrathepkitti-banyakhun Kittiwatato, Assistant
Abbott of Mahathathuyuwarachrangsadod Temple, was charged with writing a bad
check for 6,000,000 baht to plaintiff Ms. Nimnual Dulyapaibul. She alleged
that the monk wrote a check payable to her on Thai Farmer’s Bank in order to
buy rocks.
The
embattled Monk Phrathepkittibanyakhun still wears the robes of his belief.
Judge Orothat Udomchoke handed down a verdict of guilty after hearing and
examining all the evidence.
The monk’s sister, Somnuk Jaroensthaporn, then used a title deed for land to
bail her brother out of jail. The judge allowed the bail and said any appeal
made must be within 1 month.
The convicted monk later gave an interview and said what the court had
concluded about his shady check dealings was true. He continued to say that
he had met Ms. Nimnual in 1994, and in 1995 she had asked him to write her a
6,000,000 baht check as assurance for a stone quarry she was purchasing in
Phralarn District of Saraburi.
Ms. Nimnual guaranteed that she would only use this check as assurance.
Since she had been a disciple of the monk for a year, he felt he could trust
her. He also revealed that she was a ‘minor’ wife of an official high in the
Ministry of the Interior. This made her credibility even higher with the
monk, so he signed and gave her the check. Everything was quiet for a while.
Then Ms. Nimnual tried to cash the check at Thai Farmer’s Bank. She later
went to see the monk, asking him to give up his vows and robes run away with
her. He told her he could not do that as he still had a lot of work to do
within the confines of his sacerdotal calling. Apparently, Ms. Nimnual then
disappeared again for a short period of time until this bothersome check
business came up.
Ms. Nimnual had taken the check to the police and charged the monk with
fraud. She accused the monk of buying stone from her and then paying with a
bad check.
The monk said this was not the truth. He had never planned to buy stone from
Ms. Nimnual and had never even seen a single rock. He said this was a plot
to destroy his name and reputation.
As to his being asked to leave the monkhood, he said that was in the hands
of The Sangha Council. He said if this happens, he will still consider
himself a good Buddhist. He said it would be better than staying in the
monkhood as there are so many things to do. One needn’t worry about vows and
rules.
But he also said if the Sangha Council decided he should stay a monk, he
would. He reiterated that he was not receiving fair treatment in this
matter.
He continued to say that he had set up guards at the entrances to the temple
academy. This was to keep out the media, especially the Khao Sod and
Matichon newspapers. He said this was because these two newspapers attacked
him with great ferocity during the court case.
