According to police, Phra Phrom Methee, 84, whose birth name is Chamnong Lamintra, arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport from Frankfurt at 6:30 a.m. last Thursday.

He was seen arriving at the airport in a wheelchair and was later taken to the Anti-Corruption Division in Bangkok for further investigation.

Phra Phrom Methee was one of seven monks who were stripped of their ranks following a scandal involving the misappropriation of millions of baht from temple development funds and Buddhist education grants allocated by the National Office of Buddhism.

On May 24, 2018, police raided Wat Samphanthawong, Wat Sa Ket, and Wat Sam Phraya in Bangkok to arrest the seven senior monks suspected of involvement in the embezzlement.

On the day of the raid, Phra Phrom Methee was in Phitsanulok province and was reported to have traveled to Nakhon Phanom, rather than returning to Bangkok.

From there, he crossed the Mekong River into Laos, proceeded to Ho Chi Minh City, and later boarded a Qatar Airways flight to Frankfurt.

Following his flight, he was also removed from the Supreme Sangha Council, the highest governing body of Buddhism in Thailand.

According to police sources, he faces charges of conspiracy to abuse power and money laundering. However, he denies all charges and has been released on bail of 400,000 baht.