Top philanthropist tangled in fraud accusations
May 6, 2011 Filed under News
By Xinji Letu
Chen Guangbiao, the renowned philanthropist famous for his high-profile approach to charity, said the recent censure for his charitable behavior was a blow to altruism.
China Business Journal, a Beijing-based newspaper, said in a report that some of Chen’s 2010 donations were either fake or questionable. The report was carried by many other media groups across the country.
Two reporters with the journal said they investigated Chen’s major charitable activities in 2010 and found that some recipients’ names appeared fabricated.
In response to the accusations, Chen, 42, president of Jiangsu Huangpu Recycling Resources Company, provided the receipts and paperwork from past donations during an interview broadcast last Monday on China Central Television.
Chen said the incident served only to damage the burgeoning charity industry.
“If they keep doing this, no one in China will want to do charity work,” Chen said during the interview.
Reporters with the journal countered that public figures should be open to oversight, and that “any donation must face public scrutiny.”
Unlike Zhang Ziyi and other celebrities who have been caught up in accusations of donation fraud, Chen has enjoyed wide support.
Director Feng Xiaogang posted six messages on his Sina microblog in support of Chen. “It is unfair that donors are attacked repeatedly and forced to show evidence of their innocence. It seems that donating money is like committing a crime,” he wrote.
“As long as Chen has not used his charity work to gain economic or political leverage at the expense of poor people, we should be kind to him – even if he likes to show off or brag,” said Yu Jianrong, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
“Honesty may be important but you cannot use vanity alone to paint him as a hypocrite. China has many people who are richer than Chen, but how much have they donated?” Yu said.
Many of Chen supporters say his acts benefit the poor, and that to question that only discourages other would-be donors. Chen said he worried that the negative reports could cause millions of willing donors second-guess their altruism.
But many critics insist that transparency is essential to philanthropy, and that credibility is more important than charity.
As the country’s “top philanthropist,” a “role model of morality” and leader of Chinese philanthropy, Chen certainly should be subject to oversight, one commentator said.
Chen was reported as one of the most generous givers in China according to Hurun Research Institute. Last year, when Bill Gates and Warren Buffett came to China calling on the rich to give, Chen pledged to donate all his money when he dies.
The 42-year-old has long been criticized for his high-profile manner of donation, preferring to press bills directly into the hands of the needy rather than leaving distribution up to established charities.
Chen Guangbiao's flamboyant approach to charity is bringing him unwanted scrutiny. IC Photo
By Xinji Letu
Chen Guangbiao, the renowned philanthropist famous for his high-profile approach to charity, said the recent censure for his charitable behavior was a blow to altruism.
China Business Journal, a Beijing-based newspaper, said in a report that some of Chen’s 2010 donations were either fake or questionable. The report was carried by many other media groups across the country.
Two reporters with the journal said they investigated Chen’s major charitable activities in 2010 and found that some recipients’ names appeared fabricated.
In response to the accusations, Chen, 42, president of Jiangsu Huangpu Recycling Resources Company, provided the receipts and paperwork from past donations during an interview broadcast last Monday on China Central Television.
Chen said the incident served only to damage the burgeoning charity industry.
“If they keep doing this, no one in China will want to do charity work,” Chen said during the interview.
Reporters with the journal countered that public figures should be open to oversight, and that “any donation must face public scrutiny.”
Unlike Zhang Ziyi and other celebrities who have been caught up in accusations of donation fraud, Chen has enjoyed wide support.
Director Feng Xiaogang posted six messages on his Sina microblog in support of Chen. “It is unfair that donors are attacked repeatedly and forced to show evidence of their innocence. It seems that donating money is like committing a crime,” he wrote.
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