Audit office uncovers embezzlement cases

The National Audit Office unveiled a series of cases in which government funds and supplies that were allotted to fight the coronavirus pandemic were embezzled, the office said in an audit work report on Thursday.

Banks and charity institutes were requested to accelerate the allocation of funds and supplies to fight the COVID-19 outbreak, and national auditors transferred the suspected embezzlement cases to relevant departments for further investigation.

In February, the office issued a notice demanding auditing agencies at each level make auditing funds and donations allocated for controlling the pandemic a key task, according to the report, which was submitted to the bimonthly session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, for review on Thursday.

By the end of March, auditors nationwide had reviewed 137 billion yuan ($19.3 billion) issued by financial departments to fight the pandemic, as well as 231 billion yuan issued by 40 banks to support enterprises during the outbreak, the report said.

They also audited 37.8 billion yuan and 1.7 billion items used as supplies that were donated to 8,445 charity institutes and relevant departments from the public, finding 32 billion yuan and 1.5 billion items had been distributed and utilized, it said.

Auditors have ordered related departments to rectify problems discovered during audits, such as the delay of fund allocations and overstocked supplies.

The departments were pushed to speed up the distribution of 7.7 billion yuan in funds and nearly 100 million items, according to the report.

Meanwhile, more than 110 suspected cases and clues related to the embezzlement of funds and supplies have also been sent to relevant authorities, it added.

Separately, the office also found similar problems involving poverty alleviation funds, noting in the report that those who misappropriated the funds have not been held to account.

For example, auditors found 15.9 million yuan of such funds were embezzled, while eight projects meant to help impoverished people in five counties resettle and find jobs were not implemented in a timely manner, it said.

"Relevant departments are trying their best to solve all the problems and promote the implementation of the remaining tasks to lift people out of poverty," said Hu Zejun, head of the office.

Last year, when Hu explained an annual audit report to the top legislature, she revealed several serious problems in the poverty relief effort, including people stalling the allocation of designated funds and embezzling them.