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BEIJING : Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi is suspected of delaying the release of donation funds she had garnered for victims of the 2008 Szechuan earthquake during her fundraising activities at the Cannes Film Festival that same year.
Zhang's fiance, multi-millionaire Vivi Nevo, had reportedly set up the Zhang Ziyi Foundation on her behalf in the United States to conduct fundraising activities for the earthquake victims.
Citing information from Nevo's close friend in Hong Kong, Chinese media reports alleged that the Foundation's donation funds, earmarked for the Chinese Red Cross Foundation, were channelled into Zhang's personal overseas account and remained there for almost 18 months after her fundraising efforts at the film festival.
The actress had actively sought donations during the 2008 Cannes Film Festival to aid victims of the deadly 8.0 earthquake in Szechuan, China.
She reportedly also felt so strongly about the calamity that she pledged to donate one million yuan (S$208,000) and even berated festival attendees who were ignorant about the natural disaster which claimed almost 60,000 lives.
Following Zhang's statement in January that she "welcomed questions about the matter and would report on the status of the donations"; her manager Ji Ling Ling told Chinese reporters on Tuesday that "[detailed accounts of the donations] will be released by the end of the week".
The promised details have yet to be released. However, some believe Zhang may have simply been unaware that the funds were parked in her account for so long, resulting in the delay.
Chinese actresses Zhou Xun and Vicki Zhao as well as singer Na Ying have also been affected by the fallout from Zhang's donation scandal. People have questioned whether they are donating as much as they claimed to be.
Dubbed the "Fraudulent Donation Gate", the incident follows on the heels of December's "Ink Splash Gate" where a group of hooded men splashed black ink on a giant window advertisement bearing Zhang's image, after creating a scene at the Park Hyatt Beijing hotel.
It is unknown if Zhang's recent scandals will threaten her numerous endorsement deals.
According to Chinese media reports, representatives from the brands Zhang endorses have refused to comment on the matter.
- CNA/ha
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