Advertisement
Advertisement

Tighter scrutiny of Games funds pledged

Government agencies with access to Beijing Olympics funds will undergo audits in an effort to ensure a clean 2008 Games.

The announcement comes two weeks after Auditor-General Li Jinhua accused the General Administration of Sport of misusing 131 million yuan destined for the Chinese Olympics Committee. Mr Li said 109 million yuan was spent on flats for staff while the rest was spent on bonuses and investments.

Yesterday, the People's Daily party mouthpiece quoted an ano- nymous official as saying that the money was misappropriated from Olympic Committee marketing schemes, and not central funds earmarked for the 2008 Games or the Athens Olympics.

A spokeswoman for the Beijing Municipal Audit Bureau said the financial scrutiny was not triggered by the allegations, but was part of a national accountability campaign.

She said the assessment would focus on nine bodies linked to the construction of Olympic venues and associated city infrastructure, but the main body responsible for the games was not on the audit list.

'At this time, an audit of [the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games] is not planned,' the spokeswoman said.

The committee has its own supervision and audit department.

Among the bodies to be audited are the Beijing State-Owned Assets Management Company, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Planning, the Olympic Forest Park Construction and Administrative Commission, the headquarters for land development of Olympic venues and the former administration committee of the Beijing Olympic central zone.

Beijing will build 15 new venues for the Olympics, construct four temporary sites and upgrade 11 existing venues. All the work is expected to be finished by the end of 2006.

Post