Red Cross fires Xi'an branch director

The Chinese Red Cross Foundation said on June 1 that it fired its Xi'an branch director because he violated fundraising regulations.

The statement said that the official was fired after an investigation on fundraising activities for a bicycle donation campaign in Shaanxi province.

The organization said that Shi Jinlong, director of the Charity Fund Volunteer Work Office in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, violated fundraising and management rules and failed to comply with the relevant provisions of the organization.

The organization said that the office, which was established in September 2009, will also be shut down.

The investigation showed that Shi's office bought 16,600 bicycles from a factory in Tianjin at 140 yuan ($22) each in 2011 and donated the bikes to retired workers and poverty-stricken students in the province.

"Some of the donated bikes had poor quality and the case was reported in April by local media. There is no evidence to confirm that the office and its client made personal gains from the bicycle purchases," the statement said.

The foundation said that after the establishment of the Xi'an branch, the office held 40 charity activities in Shaanxi, Gansu and Sichuan provinces and donated money and materials worth 6.59 million yuan, of which some 3 million yuan were donated by Shi personally.

The organization said that it also bore responsibility in the case as it did not perform timely inspections and supervision of the office.