(Ecns.cn)-Several luxurious government vehicles have been spotted parked in the garage of the Red Cross Society of China, revealed Wu Chenguang, deputy editor-in-chief of the Blog Weekly, on Tuesday, citing an authoritative source. He also wrote that every official above the department level has been given access to two cars.
Wu posted that, according to the source, the move flouts Beijing's private car restrictions, which limit the days cars can be driven according to their license numbers. By having access to two cars, the Red Cross officials are able to drive every day.
The post soon drew attention from the public and the media. In response, Ding Shuo, the director of the top charity's policy and regulation department, said that the number of government vehicles is precisely in keeping with the standards set by the Government Offices Administration of the State Council, and only senior officials have been allocated with the cars.
Ding added that the Society has spent 411,600 yuan ($64,000) on government vehicles this year, without giving further details.
"I have not made an investigation into the whole issue. However, given the recent scandals, I believe that what I heard is true," Wu wrote.
Since last June, the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) has suffered from a credibility crisis following the Guo Meimei incident and other subsequent scandals.
In June, the 20-year-old Guo Meimei claimed to be a general manager of the RCSC on her microblog, boasting that she lived in a large villa and owned several luxury cars bankrolled by embezzled charity funds.
About one month later, Ruan Heng, former executive vice chairman at RCSC's Kunming branch, was accused of using public funds to buy products for personal use. Ruan stood trial on charges of corruption involving over 56,000 yuan ($8,700) at the Kunming Intermediate People's Court on July 22.
