Tzu Chi defrauded of NT$1.06 billion for vaccines; media questions financial report

Media personality Wu Jing-yi has raised questions about the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation's financial reporting following a NT$1.06 billion fraud.

“

If according to the accounting items, personnel expenses are less than the previous year, but looking at donation expenses (about 6.26 billion), will the reimbursement have problems?

Tzu Chi was defrauded in 2021 by a lawyer, Chen Yu-hsuan, whom the foundation had commissioned to procure BNT vaccines. The scam was uncovered by the Investigation Bureau after noticing suspicious large withdrawals from Chen's accounts.

Wu Jing-yi reviewed Tzu Chi's 2021 financial report, noting that NT$6.38 billion was allocated to "disaster relief." She questioned how the NT$1.06 billion lost to fraud was accounted for within this category, particularly as donation expenses amounted to NT$6.26 billion. Wu also highlighted that NT$3.5 billion of the foundation's NT$10 billion income that year came from public fundraising, emphasizing the need for clear explanations of expenditures.

“

The master teaches us not to waste even a grain of rice in our bowls, but this is not just one hundred million, it's ten hundred million! That could buy several warehouses of rice! Can it be wasted like this?

"The master teaches us not to waste even a grain of rice in our bowls, but this is not just one hundred million, it's ten hundred million! That could buy several warehouses of rice! Can it be wasted like this?" Wu questioned on Threads, expressing disbelief at the scale of the loss. Some netizens commented that the financial report shows the "disaster relief" expenditure but does not specify how the defrauded amount was recorded or justified.

“

The foundation's 10 billion income that year, 3.5 billion was for external fundraising, which should be explained clearly.