Overseer won't reprobe Red Cross scandal
Source: Xinhua |
June 15, 2013, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
AN independent oversight body for the Red Cross Society of China have rejected a proposal to reinvestigate the "Guo Meimei" controversy that stoked public suspicion over the charity's credibility two years ago.
The Red Cross social supervision committee made the announcement at a press conference yesterday, citing a vote during a recent committee meeting.
The Red Cross has been battling public mistrust after Guo Meimei, a young woman who claimed to be a chief of an organization with Red Cross links, posted photographs online flaunting her claims of wealth in mid-2011.
The issue triggered concern over how donations are used by the country's state-run charitable organizations, though an official investigation later that year ruled out any link between Guo or her wealth and the Red Cross.
Jin Jinping, a committee member, said some members did raise the reinvestigation proposal and that the charity previously publicized a formal report on the incident after police-led investigations two years ago.
However, the committee, an independent panel that was created in December of last year as a third-party body to supervise the charity, has no legal power to reopen the case or summon any of those concerned as witnesses, she said.
"So during the vote, we believe that the committee should advise the Red Cross to coordinate with authorities concerned to probe the incident when new evidence is available," Jin said.
The committee can conduct investigations and supervision on behalf of the public when issues of the Red Cross become public concerns, and publicize the report independently, according to the committee's charter.
To ensure its independent and fair nature, the committee has introduced a code of conduct for its members, the committee announced yesterday.
The rule says no member of the committee shall provide for-profit services to the Red Cross during their membership term or within one year of leaving the post, according to Huang Weimin, general secretary of the committee.
This came after accusations of conflicts of interest between some supervisors and the Red Cross sparked transparency and fairness concerns.
At the invitation of the Red Cross, 16 professionals of different backgrounds formed the committee, a move once widely seen as a gesture for the charity to boost transparency and reshape its image.
The Red Cross social supervision committee made the announcement at a press conference yesterday, citing a vote during a recent committee meeting.
The Red Cross has been battling public mistrust after Guo Meimei, a young woman who claimed to be a chief of an organization with Red Cross links, posted photographs online flaunting her claims of wealth in mid-2011.
The issue triggered concern over how donations are used by the country's state-run charitable organizations, though an official investigation later that year ruled out any link between Guo or her wealth and the Red Cross.
Jin Jinping, a committee member, said some members did raise the reinvestigation proposal and that the charity previously publicized a formal report on the incident after police-led investigations two years ago.
However, the committee, an independent panel that was created in December of last year as a third-party body to supervise the charity, has no legal power to reopen the case or summon any of those concerned as witnesses, she said.
"So during the vote, we believe that the committee should advise the Red Cross to coordinate with authorities concerned to probe the incident when new evidence is available," Jin said.
The committee can conduct investigations and supervision on behalf of the public when issues of the Red Cross become public concerns, and publicize the report independently, according to the committee's charter.
To ensure its independent and fair nature, the committee has introduced a code of conduct for its members, the committee announced yesterday.
The rule says no member of the committee shall provide for-profit services to the Red Cross during their membership term or within one year of leaving the post, according to Huang Weimin, general secretary of the committee.
This came after accusations of conflicts of interest between some supervisors and the Red Cross sparked transparency and fairness concerns.
At the invitation of the Red Cross, 16 professionals of different backgrounds formed the committee, a move once widely seen as a gesture for the charity to boost transparency and reshape its image.
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