Wyclef Jean Tearfully Denies Charity Wrongdoing Allegations

Tue, 19 January 2010 03:02:55 ET

'Yele's books are open and transparent, and we have a clean bill of health by an external auditor every year since we started,' the 'Fast Car' singer states in a news conference.

Being struck with allegations that he profited from his organization Yele Haiti, Wyclef Jean has finally stepped forward to clear the matter. In a news conference held on Monday, January 18 in New York, the 37-year-old Haitian-born rapper stated in tears that he has never misappropriated funds from his foundation which was started in 2005.

"Did we make mistakes? Yes," the "Sweetest Girl [Dollar Bill]" hitmaker first admitted. He furthermore denied any wrongdoing for personal benefits in front of the reporters gathering. "Did I ever use any of Yele's money for personal benefits? Absolutely not," the emotional musician stated. ""Yele's books are open and transparent, and we have been a clean bill of health by an external auditor every year since we started."

In addition to Jean's statement, Hugh Locke, the president of Yele Haiti, has offered to provide past tax forms to insure that the foundation has nothing to hide. Tax experts have also confirmed to CNN that the foundation, which recently had managed to raise several million dollars for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti, hasn't done any serious wrongdoing except for a lapse of discipline in filing taxes.

Charity Navigator, which is the largest independent charity evaluator, reported that the foundation filed three years worth of U.S. taxes late. "Charities are often not especially timely in filing these documents, but this is beyond late," the group mentioned. Locke didn't deny the report and acknowledged the mistake. "We should have been on top of it," he said. "We were not."

As reported by The Smoking Gun on January 14, Wyclef Jean had allegedly used $410,000 from the foundation to pay for rent, production services, and his appearance at a benefit concert. To strengthen their allegation towards him and his foundation, The Smoking Gun has also provided snapshots of the foundation's tax return forms on their website.

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