B56m to be recovered in temple graft scandal

The Criminal Court has ordered the recovery of 56 million baht swindled by a former section head of the National Office of Buddhism (NOB) convicted of graft, according to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).

The order, which stemmed from the conviction of Wasawat Kittithirasit by the Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases in September 2022, was only made public by the NACC yesterday.

Wasawat previously served as head of the temple maintenance section at the NOB. The court convicted him of corruption and ordered that the 56 million baht in his possession be seized on Sept 27 last year.

Niwatchai Kasemmongkol, the NACC secretary-general, said the case began when the NACC found Wasawat to be unusually rich while directing the temple maintenance and…