But the money has allegedly not been donated to the charity, which is involved in helping the disabled, among other activities.

Mr Peh, 48, who made a police report on 2 Jan, told The New Paper that he had helped Yisheng find donors for the event.

Police confirmed that a report had been lodged and said investigations are on.

Mr Peh first met Yisheng at the Celebrities Resorts Club (formerly called Europa Country Club) on Thomson Lane, around March 2007.

Yisheng had introduced himself as the owner of the club.

Mr Peh recognised the actor and they had a chat in Yisheng's office. Yisheng told Mr Peh that he had problems organising his annual charity soccer match.

Yisheng wanted to organise a match between Singapore and Hong Kong celebrities and asked Mr Peh if he had any contacts.

Mr Peh put him in touch with a friend from Hong Kong.

Around May 2007, Mr Peh said Yisheng called to say he needed $100,000 to organise the charity match.

Mr Peh said: 'I felt it was for a good cause, because the money would go to charity. So I called 14 friends, and all agreed to donate.'

He declined to provide details of these friends.

Mr Peh said that Yisheng told them to write the cheques to Celebrities Holdings, explaining that the match was organised by the company.

Mr Peh's friends also made donations in cash.

The match, on 18 Jul 2007 at Jalan Besar Stadium, saw Singapore celebrities like Zheng Geping, Chen Tianwen and Yisheng himself play against some Hong Kong celebrities.

At the match, which the Hong Kong side won 4-2, Mr Peh asked Yisheng how much his friends donated.

Yisheng replied that $265,000 had been raised.

Mr Peh said: 'I was surprised that my friends gave so much. I told Yisheng that he should quickly give the balance to Metta.'

He then assumed that Yisheng had done so.

In February last year, Mr Peh read in the Chinese newspapers that Yisheng's club was in financial difficulties and was unable to pay its workers.

Mr Peh called Yisheng and asked him: 'Tell me the truth, have you paid Metta?'

Yisheng allegedly replied that he had.

Mr Peh then called Metta and discovered that they had received only the money raised through ticket sales.

This was a mere $4,000.

'I was very angry.' said Mr Peh. 'I called Yisheng and scolded him. So many people raised the money, how could he keep it?'

They met that night at a coffee shop in Eunos.

Yisheng told Mr Peh that after deducting expenses of $138,878.41, there was a balance of $126,121.59.

Mr Peh claimed that Yisheng admitted that he had used up the donation money.

An upset Mr Peh called the police. Yisheng, who is married, then begged for a chance, saying that he had to look after four children.

Mr Peh asked Yisheng to put it in writing how much he owed and when he would return the money.

Yisheng did so, and said he would return the money by end-June last year, according to Mr Peh, who showed us the note. He allegedly never did.

From 1 Jul, Mr Peh tried contacting Yisheng, but he said Yisheng had changed his contact numbers.

Actor Zheng Geping, 44, told The New Paper that he did not know about the missing money until he read about it in the Chinese newspapers this week.

Zheng, who is also the president of the Celebrities Sports Club here, said: 'Yisheng was always a happy-go-lucky guy. I last saw him in December 2007 when we went to Kuala Lumpur to play a friendly match against the Malaysian, Indonesian and Hong Kong celebrity teams.

'I'm shocked because I did not know so much money was involved,' he added.

When The New Paper visited Yisheng's home yesterday, no one answered the door. A neighbour said she had not seen the family for a week.

On 23 Dec, Mr Peh said his friend called to say he had seen Yisheng at Genting Highlands. His friend passed the phone to Yisheng, and Mr Peh scolded him.

He said: 'I told him he was too much. If he had no money, how could he possibly go on holiday? Yisheng told me that his friend paid for his holiday. I found that hard to believe.'

Mr Peh said that Yisheng promised to look for him when he returned to Singapore on New Year's Eve, but that he never turned up.

'I don't treat him as a friend any more.

'I feel so bad now when I talk to my friends who donated their money. Luckily, they know me well, and they understand that I did not cheat them of their money.'

Metta Welfare declined comment due to ongoing police investigations.

- Additional reporting by Han Su-Ying, newsroom intern.

Top photo: Former actor Lin Yisheng (above, in No 66 shirt) organised a number of charity soccer games in the past.

This article was first published in The New Paper on Jan 10, 2009.