Shaolin Temple's 'CEO monk' probed for fraud, fathering children with multiple women

The abbot of China's famed 1,500-year-old Shaolin Temple is under criminal investigation for alleged embezzlement, "improper relationships" with women and fathering illegitimate children, religious authorities said.

Shi Yongxin, 59, previously a member of China's parliament, is "suspected of criminal offences, misappropriating and embezzling project funds and the temple's assets," the temple said in a statement, adding Shi is under joint investigation by multiple agencies.

Shi could not immediately be reached for comment. The temple did not answer a call from Reuters.

Nicknamed the "CEO monk" and known for his commercial ambitions, Shi sought to capitalise on the monastery's fame during his decades-long tenure at Shaolin Temple, the fabled birthplace of kung fu and the setting for many martial arts films in the central Chinese province of Henan.

Shi has "seriously violated Buddhist precepts, maintained improper relationships with multiple women over a long period of time."

Shi has previously been accused by former monks of embezzling money from a temple-run company, maintaining a fleet of luxury cars and fathering children with multiple women.

In a statement issued on Monday, the state-supervised Buddhist Association of China said it approved the revoking of Shi's ordination certificate, adding that his "behaviours are extremely deplorable in nature, have seriously damaged the reputation of the Buddhist community and tarnished the image of monks."

In 2015, a letter circulated online accusing Shi of misconduct and improper sexual relations. The temple denied the allegations at the time.

Shi, known as Liu Yingcheng before he became a monk in 1981, has overseen the temple since 1987 and became its abbot in 1999, the temple's website showed.

In 2008, the temple opened an online store, offering a range of goods including shoes, tea, T-shirts, and a kung fu instruction manual for 9,999 yuan ($1,395).

Its business ventures over the years also included book publishing, medicine, kung fu performances, film production, asset management and real estate.

Shi posted daily on his social media account on Weibo with more than 882,000 followers.

Shi was a delegate of China's rubber-stamp parliament, the National People's Congress, for around two decades until 2018. He has also been deputy head of China's Buddhist association.

 Reuters