DSI official Jarin Sangkhao placed the warrant in front of the temple and then went to report the refusal with Klong Luang Police Station yesterday, a source said. The police record also said that the official had been told that a lawyer had advised the temple to refuse the summons.

Samphan Sermcheep, Phra Dhammachayo’s lawyer, said that since they already knew that the DSI would serve its third warrant yesterday, they had decided to reject it. Also, he said, it was still 20 days before the May 16 summon and that he would speak to the abbot next week.

The lawyer went on to say that the temple was also wondering if it should sue the DSI for seeking an arrest warrant for the abbot.

“Why is this case receiving so much special attention from the DSI. I confirm that the DSI has not spoken to the abbot before, but they just aim to file charges. This is very unusual,” he added.

Phra Sanitwong Wutthiwaso, director of Wat Phra Dhammakaya’s communications office, claimed that the temple had not seen the third warrant yet. He also explained that the DSI-obtained video clip showing Phra Dhammachayo being in good health while attending an event was taken on April 22. He said the monk, later that very day, had become acutely ill and needed 15 days to recover. Hence, he was unable to meet the DSI earlier this week.

The abbot has twice cited health problems to explain his failure to report to the DSI to acknowledge charges of collusion in relation to alleged money laundering and receiving ill-gotten gains.

The charges relate to cheques he received from Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative’s former chairman Supachai Srisupa-aksorn, who is accused of embezzling billions of baht from the cooperative. After Supachai’s embezzlement was exposed, Phra Dhammachayo returned hundreds of millions of baht to the cooperative and has since insisted that he could not have known that Supachai had donated embezzled funds.

It was reported that the video clip was a piece of evidence that pushed DSI to apply for his arrest warrant – though the court on Tuesday rejected it on the basis that the monk is ill and has not shown any intention to flee.

DSI chief Paisit Wongmuang said yesterday that with the third warrant in place, the DSI no longer needed to visit or interview the abbot at the temple.