Alongkot Poonmook, formerly known as Phra Ratcha Wisutthiprachanat, was the abbot of a hospice originally for HIV/Aids patients. Photo: AP

Alongkot Poonmook, formerly known as Phra Ratcha Wisutthiprachanat, was the founder and abbot of the hospice at Wat Phra Bat Namphu temple in the central province of Lopburi.

However, he was forced to leave the monkhood in 2025 after he was arrested alongside an associate, Seksan Sapsubbsakul, who served as a fundraiser for the project.

On Wednesday, both men were found guilty on multiple counts of embezzlement and money laundering.

Alongkot was sentenced to a cumulative 742 years in prison, while Seksan received more than 386 years, but those sentences were automatically reduced to the legal maximum of 50 years.

The men were also ordered to return more than 300 million baht (about US$9 million or just under £7 million) to the hospice.

The temple has long been a revered institution in Thailand, where the majority of the population are Buddhist, but its image has been dented by the financial scandal.

Some Buddhist temples in Thailand are extremely wealthy because worshippers donate large amounts as a way of making religious merit, and the country has seen cases of senior monks being accused of misappropriating temple funds.

The case has drawn widespread attention since questions about the handling of funds for the hospice emerged online and prompted an investigation.

Alongkot's hospice was considered a pioneering humanitarian project when it was established in 1992, but it became less relevant after the development and distribution of antiretroviral drugs to treat HIV.

Alongkot later expanded the hospice to offer treatment to people suffering from other serious ailments.

The temple also runs various charities that provide funding for the education of underprivileged children in the area.