Charity comes under fire again for overspending

BEIJING - The improper allocation of funds by the Red Cross Society of China and its overspending problems, which were revealed on Monday, have added fuel to the public's anger at the organization.

The Red Cross Society's credibility had already plummeted after a recent scandal involving the misuse of donations, when it was found to have overspent 4.2 million yuan ($647,500), exceeding by 34 percent the accepted budget for equipment procurement in December 2009, according to a report released by the National Audit Office on the implementation of the government's budget.

Other spending irregularities included 300,000 yuan supposedly spent on web management training that has not yet taken place, and 224, 800 yuan of administrative expenses in the construction of a stem cell donor database run by an affiliate organization under the Red Cross.