Jet Li denies charity fund embezzlement

File photo of Jet Li attends activities celebrating One Foundation's official registration as a public foundation in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, on Jan 11, 2011. [Provided to China Daily]

Film star Jet Li is in hot water following allegations of embezzlement involving donated funds to his One Foundation, Beijing Times reported on Thursday morning.

The One Foundation is a charity founded by Li in April 2007, and a Weibo post by m4.cn has raised questions about Li's handling of 300 million yuan in donations intended for the victims of last year's Ya'an earthquake.

The post said that, as of 8:02 pm on April 20, exactly one year after the quake, 219 charitable organizations around the country have received a total of 1.696 billion yuan in donations, and their expenses have reached 645 million yuan, which accounts for 38 percent of their total income.

It said that one of these organizations, One Foundation, received nearly 400 million yuan in donations with expenses totaling 40 million yuan, or 9 percent.

"Where have our donations gone?" the poster wrote.

Jet Li responded to the accusations with a post on his Weibo account that was apparently meant to be humorous, saying that he "really wants to take the donations," but that he does not have the required seal or the authority to sign for the funds, so "who can teach me how to take the money into my bank account without anybody knowing about it?"

He also said - still apparently joking – that "300 million yuan is not enough to share with the other administrators of One Foundation," and "please give some advice on how to split the money".

Yang Peng, secretary-general of One Foundation, said that they are responsible for several reconstruction projects which are currently underway.

Meanwhile, the reconstruction of five quake-affected schools is the most expensive of their projects, and the funds will not be allocated until the tendering and bidding process is completed as scheduled by July, Yang said.