Former Thai abbot gets 468-year jail sentence for embezzlement

Phra Ajarn Khom, former abbot of the Wat Pa Dhammakiri Buddhist temple in Thailand’s Pak Chong District, was sentenced by the Central Criminal court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases on Wednesday, the Bangkok Post reported.

Eight other accomplices were also sentenced to imprisonment for their involvement in the case.

The court said Khom embezzled the money received by the temple by keeping them in his bank account, then having his sister withdraw them. Some of the withdrawn money was kept at his home, and Thai police seized ฿51.4 million of it.

Khom also ordered other people to hide assets outside of the temple. The police later found the cash and assets involved, worth a total of ฿299.5 million, Thai News reported.

Thai law states that the maximum time one can spend in prison is 50 years.