Alleged femme fatale in monk scandal to face additional charge

A fourth charge is expected to be filed against Wilawan Emsawat today, related to the explosive sex scandals currently rocking the Thai monastic order.

35-year-old Wilawan, known to many as “Golf”, was arrested at her residence in Nonthaburi province yesterday on charges of money laundering, receiving stolen items and abetting alleged abuse of authority by monks.

Pol Col Anek Taosuparb, deputy commander of Crime Suppression Division, said that police are expected to question her today and an additional fraud charge may filed.

He said that a fraud charge would stem from a complaint filed against the suspect by a former director of the National Office of Buddhism’s Phichit office.

In the complaint he claims that he was duped by the suspect, who promised to provide him with evidence of her relationship with the chief monk of the province, in exchange of 400,000 baht to cover her medical fees.

Police discovered that about 385 million baht had circulated through Wilawan’s bank accounts in the past three years, but almost all of the money has now been withdrawn, leaving just 8,000 baht in one account, adding that some of the money had been spent on online gambling.

According to Pol Maj-Gen Charoonkiat Pankaew, the deputy commissioner of Central Investigation Bureau, nine senior monks implicated in the sex scandals have already left the monkhood, one of whom is alleged to have fathered a child with Wilawan, who allegedly demanded child support from the monk of 30,000 baht monthly for 20 years.

Pol Maj-Gen Prasong Chalermbhand, CSD commander, said that the monks who had close or intimate relationships with Wilawan are have been divided into three groups by the investigation team.

The first are those who had sexual relationships with her.

The two other groups had close relationships with her, but all had given her money from either their own or temple bank accounts.