Scams net millions of yuan intended for projects to raise living standards

The National Audit Office has uncovered fraud, embezzlement and malpractice in a number of provinces, as Zhang Yi reports.

Hundreds of millions of yuan have been stolen or held in local government bank accounts, rather than being used for poverty-alleviation projects, according to a wide-ranging probe conducted by the National Audit Office.

A nationwide inspection found that 15 companies and agencies in five provinces had forged contracts to gain access to 12 million yuan ($1.7 million) of funding.