Former head of the National Office of Buddhism has assets valued at nearly 600 million baht

Nice work if you can get it. Except you’re working for the National Office of Buddhism. Now the former director of the National Office of Buddhism, Nopparat Benjawattananant, has been pointed out by the National Anti-Corruption Commission for being “unusually wealthy”, having “suspiciously” amassed assets worth about 575 million baht during his four year tenure.

NACC secretary-general Worawit Sukboon says that the anti-graft agency suspected that Mr. Nopparat could involved in corruption related to funding allocated for the renovation of Wat Pananchoeng during five years ago. He noted that the assets that Nopparat and his wife declared to the NACC The assets including land, houses, vehicles and life insurance policies that the NACC consider disproportionate to their actual incomes.

Ms. Supa Piyachitti has been leading a probe team investigating the couple’s usual wealth and discovered even more assets held in the names of their relatives and other people.

98.6 million baht in assets under Nopparat’s name including…

• 71.9m baht in 13 bank accounts

• 12m baht in four investment vehicles

• 14m baht in 12 life insurance policies

196m baht of assets are in Mrs. Pattanan’s name…

• 122.9m baht in 22 bank accounts

• 6m baht in investments

• 3.8 million baht car

• 61m baht in life insurance policies

• land in Chanthaburi province worth about 760,000 baht

131m baht of assets held under the name of Nopparat’s ex-wife, Mrs. Tharinee…

• 105 million baht in 56 bank accounts

• 25m baht in investments

• one car worth about 1m baht

26.7m baht of assets held in the name of a son, Thanarat Ditwatcharapaisarn…

• 20m baht in 10 bank accounts

• one 1.8 million baht house in Samut Prakan province

• four life insurance policies worth 3m baht

• a 1m million baht car.

68 million baht of assets held in the name of a daughter, Ms. Pimpassorn Ditwatcharapaisarn…

• 50m baht in 31 bank accounts

• 9.7m baht in investments

• 5.8 m baht in three properties

• 2m baht in three life insurance policies

Other assets…

• One condominium unit worth 500,000 in Chon Buri province, held in the name of a niece, Ms. Waratthaya Prommat
• 4.5m baht of assets held in the name of M. Piyachart Srichan, a close aide to Nopparat
• 49m baht of assets in Bangkok held under the name of Ms. Natthaporn, daughter of Mrs. Pattanan

The NACC secretary-general says their officials have seized assets worth 176 million baht so far, adding that the agency has asked the Office of the Attorney-General to file charges against Nopparat and seven other people with the Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World