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Chinese tycoon denies
donation fraud
Staff Writer, with CNA
Chinese tycoon Chen Guangbiao (³¯¥ú¼Ð), who led a high-profile charity visit to
Taiwan earlier this year, responded to allegations in the Chinese-language media
that his donations were fake by saying that he could prove his innocence with
all the receipts and paperwork from past donations.
Chen¡¦s visit prior to the Lunar New Year holiday, during which he handed out
hundreds of millions of NT dollars to some of the nation¡¦s poorest families,
sparked controversy in Taiwan, with some legislators saying his approach was
demeaning of Taiwanese.
A report in the China Business Journal quoted inside sources as saying that
Chen¡¦s acts of philanthropy were only ¡§lip service¡¨ and intended to garner
positive publicity and greater profits.
The source said Chen obtained contracts with local Taiwanese governments through
the contacts he made during his visit, giving him an unfair advantage over
competitors.
In a telephone interview with the Central News Agency, Chen said some media were
purposefully running distorted reports and being manipulated by corporations
working behind the scenes.
¡§It could be that my public acts of altruism have stung the pretentious souls of
other rich people,¡¨ Chen said, adding that 98 percent of his donations had
already reached their intended recipients.
Asked what had happened to the remaining 2 percent, Chen said it was because of
the contract he signed with the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum for upkeep, which clearly
stated that the funds ¡§would be made available in installments.¡¨
Chen said the Chinese-language media were using the 2 percent to accuse him of
falsifying all his donations.
Chen said a TV interview to be aired last night would show all the receipts and
paperwork related to his donations, adding that he did not mind the criticism as
it had brought the subject of Chinese philanthropic agencies into the limelight.
However, he said he was worried that the negative reports could cause some of
the tens of millions of willing donors to second-guess their altruistic
feelings.
Asked whether he would visit Taiwan next month, Chen said he had been very busy
recently and that while the trip was still scheduled, whether it would go ahead
remained uncertain.
¡§It doesn¡¦t matter if I come [to Taiwan] or not,¡¨ Chen said, adding that the
money would ¡§definitely¡¨ be coming.
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