Taiwan temple abbot and son suspected of embezzling nearly 70 million yuan in donations, laundering funds via crypto and more

Nov. 7 — According to Guancha, Zhang Qingyu, abbot of Donglin Temple in Yilan, Taiwan, and his son Zhang Weifu, who has been ordained, are accused of embezzling donations. When investigators searched the temple, they dug up more than a dozen iron boxes containing gold and silver buried under gravel outside the meditation quarters, with a market value exceeding NT$330 million (about 70 million yuan). The investigation shows temple funds were transferred to private accounts and laundered through purchasing cryptocurrencies, gold and silver. The case is still under investigation.