Tzu Chi has not investigated the NT$1.06 billion vaccine fraud
Taiwan's largest charity, Tzu Chi, is facing growing anger after losing more than a billion Taiwan dollars to a fake vaccine deal and doing nothing about it since — bad news for donors, and a test of how charity money is watched in Taiwan.
- Tzu Chi paid about NT$1.06 billion in fees to a middleman who promised to source 5 million BioNTech vaccine doses back in 2021, and the doses never came.
- A lawyer who once headed the Changhua bar association and a broker allegedly worked together to win the charity's trust and take the money.
- The story broke earlier this month, and more than two weeks later there is still no internal investigation and no one at the top has stepped aside.
- Critics say a leadership that shrugs off a loss this size has lost the ability to reform itself, and public statements so far have been read as passing the blame.
- Donors online are furious, joking that the sum is pocket change to Tzu Chi and asking who else benefits from money that flows without proper tracking.
Outlook: Pressure is building on Tzu Chi's leadership, including its chief executive, to open a real inquiry or face wider scrutiny of how donations are supervised.