Frankly, since the NKF saga, my faith in charity organisations has been greatly eroded. And now that this has happened again, to a Buddhist charity organisation, my trust and faith in charity and doing good is almost gone.
What's the point of giving donations and doing charity work only to have your money going to the private pockets of those who run these organisations? What's the point when every dollar donated, only 10 cents really goes to those who really needed our help?
What happened? I am sure that when Venerable Ming Yi started, his intentions were good. But on the way, had he lost track of his charitable intentions and got corrupted by the evils of money and possessions? Powers corrupts. Money corrupts.
Innocent until proven guilty. We do not know if he is guilty or just misled. But there are about 10 charges against him. So how innocent can he be? Unless, there is a...ahem....conspiracy against him?
If he is really guilty, should he still be a monk? Afterall a monk is suppose to let go of all these material desires. And what he did, even if it does not goes into his private pocket, is not very monkly.
But what I am to say and judge, I am just a commoner. A disillusioned and skeptical common person in the street. Who does not trust charity organisations anymore and who would think thrice for every donations I make.
The can of worms has been opened. More worms are going to crawl out. And that naughty monk is going to get his rightful just. Mark my words.
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The Straits Times
15 July 2008
Ren Ci case: Arrest comes after five-month probe
At issue are loans made by the hospital amounting to several million dollars
By Chong Chee Kin
THE long-time head of Ren Ci Hospital, the Venerable Ming Yi, was arrested yesterday and stepped down from all his positions at the charity. He posted police bail of $200,000 last night and left the Commercial Affairs Department at the Police Cantonment Complex at about 11pm after giving his statement. He was wearing his monk robes.
His arrest means that both the former chiefs of Singapore's two biggest charities - Ren Ci and the National Kidney Foundation - have been implicated in financial irregularities in recent years. The arrest of the face of Ren Ci comes five months after he went on long leave when the police were asked to probe the charity's finances.
The Health Ministry found 'possible irregularities' in Ren Ci's books after an audit. At the heart of the issue were questionable loans made by the hospital, amounting to several million dollars. Some of these loans were allegedly given to companies with links to the Venerable Ming Yi. There were also loans given to a helper with the charity as well as investments made over the years in his name.
As a result of the probe, Ren Ci lost the right to grant its supporters tax exemption for donations. Contacted yesterday, the monk's lawyers, Senior Counsel Andre Yeap and Mr Hamidul Haq from law firm Rajah & Tann, told The Straits Times that their client has cooperated fully with the authorities.
The Straits Times understands that while Venerable Ming Yi has surrendered his passport to the police, he was told he would be allowed to travel, subject to conditions. His assets were not frozen. It is understood that Venerable Ming Yi, who is also an abbot at a Geylang monastery as well as several temples in Malaysia and Hong Kong, was arrested for criminal breach of trust.
Mr Yeap said: 'His current intention is to seek vindication and it looks as though this can only be achieved by defending these charges in court vigorously. 'None of the offences related to matters which involved any allegations of personal gain...Some of the matters have already been approved by the board of Ren Ci previously.'
In light of his arrest, Venerable Ming Yi has informed Ren Ci's board that he will step down from all his positions - including his present post as honorary chief executive - 'pending the resolution of the current investigations'. The 46-year-old shot to fame with his daredevil stunt of abseiling down the 45-storey Suntec Tower Two in the charity's maiden TV fund-raiser in 2003.
The show raised more than $7 million in each of its last two runs. He has been the chief of the charity, which takes care of chronically sick patients, since its inception in 1994.
Ren Ci is the second-largest charity under MOH with reserves of about $33.5 million. It raised about $30 million last year. It runs two medical after-care facilities, one at Buangkok View and the other at Moulmein with over 444 beds. A third hospital, being built near Tan Tock Seng Hospital, is due to be completed in September.
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The Straits Times
15 July 2008
Ren Ci head Venerable Ming Yi charged with 10 counts
Three others also face charges after probe into the charity's finances. -ST
THE long-time head of Ren Ci Hospital was charged in court on Tuesday with 10 counts, including forgery, misappropriation of funds and conspiracy to give false information to the Commissioner of Charities.
Goh Kah Heng alias Shi Ming Yi, 46, was charged, along with his personal assistant Raymond Yeung Chi Hang, 33, who faces two counts, and Phua Seow Hwa, 47, who faces one charge. Phua is a manager of Ren Ci Hospital and Medicare Centre's technical resource centre.
A fourth man, Pang Leong Chuan, 27, was charged with having obscene videos and films without valid certificates at Cornwall Gardens, where the monastery staff live, and his Tampines home in February.
Last November, the Health Ministry appointed accountancy firm Ernst & Young to conduct a three-month inquiry into 'some possible irregularities in certain financial transactions' at Ren Ci. As a result of the probe, Ren Ci lost the right to grant its supporters tax exemption for donations.
Goh, the abbot of Fu Hai Ch'an Monastery and several temples in Malaysia and Hongkong, has since stepped down from all his positions. He allegedly committed forgery by asking a staff to add false information into a Ren Ci management committee meeting minute in 2001.
Four charges under the Charities Act state that he gave misleading or false information to the Commissioner of Charities between 1998 and last year. He is also accused of misappropriating $350,000 of Ren Ci's funds in 2004 and last year. He allegedly conspired with Yeung to falsify a paper belonging to Ren Ci by stating that a $50,000 loan was made by Ren Ci to Mandala Buddhist Cultural Centre in 2004.
The two are said to have schemed to provide false information to the Commissioner over the delivery of two statues worth $16,000 to Mandala early this year.
Goh allegedly conspired with Phua to provide false information to the Commissioner, stating in a letter signed by one Patrick Tay that $300,000 out of a $600,000 purported donation to the hospital was a friendly loan to Goh.
All four have lawyers to represent them. Goh is out on $200,000 bail while Yeung is released on $80,000 bail. All the cases have been fixed for pre-trial hearings.
----------------------------------ChannelNews Asia
15 July 2008
SINGAPORE: Head of Ren Ci Hospital, the Venerable Shi Ming Yi has been charged with alleged forgery, conspiracy and misuse of funds.
Venerable Ming Yi, who was also former Ren Ci Chairman, was slapped with 10 charges Tuesday morning. The monk faces four charges under the Penal Code involving two counts of alleged criminal breach of trust.
He also faces one count of alleged forgery for the purpose of cheating and one count of abetment for allegedly falsifying accounts. He also faces six charges under the Charities Act for allegedly providing false information.
Two of his associates Raymong Yeung and Phua Seow Hua were also alleged to have gone into conspiracy with the Venerable and were also charged in court Tuesday.
Separately, a volunteer from Ren Ci was charged with allegedly possessing some 70 copies of obscene film.
Venerable Ming Yi, also known as Goh Kah Heng, is out on S$200, 000 bail. The case will be heard in court on August 4.
Venerable Ming Yi has been on leave for five months before his arrest on Monday night. He had been under probe by the Commercial Affairs Department.
The Commercial Affairs Department was called in after auditors engaged by the Health Ministry highlighted possible irregularities in some of the charity's financial transactions. The Ministry of Health had said that several transactions, which involved several million dollars, could not be satisfactorily explained.
Ren Ci and 11 other large Institutions of a Public Character were subject to the Health Ministry's general review in July 2006.
Ren Ci is believed to be the third largest health charity in Singapore after the National Kidney Foundation and SingHealth Endowment Fund.
The Commissioner of Charities has suspended Venerable Ming Yi from his office as Chief Executive Officer of Ren Ci Hospital & Medicare Centre with immediate effect. He will also be suspended from his executive positions in five other charities: Foo Hai Ch'an Monastery, Foo Hai Ch'an Buddhist Cultural and Welfare Association, Singapore Buddhist Free Clinic and The Singapore Regional Centre of the World Fellowship of Buddhists, and the
Katho Temple.
He remains the religious leader of the Foo Hai Ch'an Monastery.
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