Ministry orders probe against aid group director

The Ministry of Civil Affairs has ordered a probe against the director of China Charities Aid Foundation for Children following allegations that surfaced online against him earlier in the month.

The ministry has also called for a rectification of the national charity foundation as several staff members were being suspected of dereliction of duty, the China Central Television reported on Friday.

According to some netizens, the director of the Henan branch office of the foundation, surnamed Lei, coaxed mothers of sick children, who could not afford the treatment costs, to "sleep with him" in exchange for money.

As reported by CCTV, Lei was detained by police on suspicion of duty crime in February. He was then transferred to the procuratorial authorities for review and prosecution in May.

The civil affairs ministry told CCTV that it has noticed online reports of Lei's unscrupulous behavior, and is ordering a full investigation.

The ministry has already imposed an administrative penalty on the foundation in June to suspend its activities for three months and listed it on a list of untrustworthy social organizations. The ministry has also sent a working team to conduct an overhaul of the foundation.

The China Charities Aid Foundation for Children, officially founded in January 2010, is a national public funding foundation and civil in nature.