Prosecutors approve ex-abbot's arrest

The arrest of Shi Yongxin, the former abbot of the Shaolin Temple in Henan province, who faces charges of embezzlement, misappropriation of funds, and bribery has been approved, the Supreme People's Procuratorate said on Sunday.

The case was investigated by public security authorities in Xinxiang, designated by the Henan Provincial Public Security Department to handle allegations of embezzlement and other offenses. The Xinxiang public security bureau sought approval from the Xinxiang people's procuratorate for Shi's arrest, which was recently granted, according to the statement.

On July 27, the Shaolin Temple announced that Shi was under investigation by multiple authorities for allegedly embezzling funds, misappropriating project funds and temple assets, maintaining long-term inappropriate relationships with multiple women, and fathering at least one illegitimate child.

The next day, the Buddhist Association of China revealed it had agreed to revoke Shi's ordination certificate, which serves as proof of acceptance into the monastic community.

Shi, 59, became a monk in 1981 and had served as the 30th abbot of the 1,500-year-old Shaolin Temple since 1999. The temple is widely known as an ancestral home of Zen Buddhism and is famed for its longstanding kung fu tradition.