The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The online fight over the AUD 261,000 in funds for the Druk Community Center Australia (DCCA) will likely move from the online space to the courts, regulators, and even the police in Australia.
It has been learned that, as promised, the couple has sent Kalu Rinpoche initial paperwork for a defamation case over Rinpoche’s remarks online, as well as a criminal case for inciting Bhutanese people online against them and threatening their safety.
On his part, Kalu Rinpoche and his team are looking at defending the defamation case while also filing criminal cases over the funds, alongside complaints to regulators in Perth, Australia.
Read world consequences
Meanwhile, the online battle is having real-world consequences. The husband-and-wife couple has not been able to go to their office for the last week, and their four children, aged 22, 17, 11, and 7, have been unable to go to school for safety reasons.
The couple said ever since Kalu Rinpoche’s video came out and their identities and phone numbers were made public, they have been inundated with messages and calls, including threats. This is apart from the threats of harm online. They say they are traumatized alongside their children, remain under effective siege at home, and do not feel safe.
The couple said that they plan to hold an Annual General Meeting of the DCCA soon. There, they will look at the feasibility of the DCCA Community Center, and if that is not possible, they will look at other options, such as donating the funds to build a Chorten in the Gelephu Mindfulness City or donating the amount to Bhutanese Buddhist Associations in Australia, such as Zhung Dratshang or Namkhai Nyingpo and others, to earn merit in the name of the donors.
The couple said they would rather give this money up for good purposes than let Kalu Rinpoche get it and use it to fund his ‘lavish lifestyle’.
Couple say Kalu Rinpoche made money
The couple stated that Kalu Rinpoche’s claim that he received no money from the Buddha Relic tour in Australia is untrue, as people gave him money separately in loaded envelopes on his table, all of which he kept. They said there was a green bag where this money was collected, and these funds were personal gifts to Rinpoche, as announced by him, and were never put into the DCCA. The couple said they did not even ask for those funds for the DCCA, as there was a separate donation box for the DCCA.
Kalu Rinpoche’s sister said that some people came and gave money directly to Rinpoche on his table or put it in his bag. She said some chose to donate in the DCCA box and then offered money to Rinpoche directly when they approached him.
DCCA membership
The DCCA, on August 12, issued a public notice on its Facebook page stating that Kalu Rinpoche is not a committee member of the DCCA and that Rinpoche had made demands to hand over the association’s funds and bank details to him and his nominees.
The paper got in touch with Dolma Choso, the sister of Kalu Rinpoche, who responded on his behalf.
Regarding Rinpoche’s role in DCCA, Dolma said, “His Eminence Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche initiated the spiritual vision for the Druk Community Centre (DCCA) and personally secured the Sacred Buddha Relics from the Union Bouddhiste de France (UBF), the Foreign Ministry, and the Home Ministry of France for government approval for the Australia tour.”
She said that as a spiritual leader from Bhutan, Rinpoche entrusted the local Australian administrative incorporation to the couple in good faith.
Dolma said Rinpoche was never informed that DCCA was incorporated as a closed, family-controlled board without independent community representation.
She said they made Rinpoche fill out all the forms to become a member of the DCCA Board, which was used to deceive Rinpoche, but never filed the paperwork with the ACNC.
Dolma said there is a conflict of interest, as the governing committee remains confined to a single family unit and personal associates. This, she said, is in direct conflict with Australian charity governance and constitutes a breach of Australian charity regulations (ACNC Governance Standards 2 and 5), which require transparency, open accountability to members, and the active management of family conflicts.
She said that for more than six months, formal requests to open association membership to the broader Australian-Bhutanese community were rejected by the current committee.
Dolma said, “They made Rinpoche fill out all the forms to be a member of the DCCA Board, which was used to deceive Rinpoche, but never filed the paperwork with the ACNC.”
The couple said the board consists of the father as the President, the wife as the Director and Treasurer, the daughter as the Events Manager, the sister of the President and her husband, and one member who looks after Eastern Australia. This means that out of the six-member board, five are family members.
When asked why it was kept within the family, the couple said that when they initially went around looking for members to help with the DCCA, many Bhutanese were unwilling to join due to Rinpoche’s past financial issues with his former parent monastery in India and his lavish online lifestyle.
The wife said they also started with zero funds, so the family decided to volunteer and pitch in.
Regarding the conflict of interest, she said they had already informed Australian regulators and signed forms to that effect. She said that while membership was not advertised, it was not closed either.
On Rinpoche filling out forms, the couple said they had already informed him that he could not fill out forms because he did not hold a valid visa, as one cannot undertake such roles on a visitor visa.
Fund handover
Regarding the allegations of demanding fund handovers, Dolma said Rinpoche has never requested or demanded charitable donations for himself or for personal use. She said that if Rinpoche had wished to keep the donations for himself or to bring them to Bhutan for other projects, he would not have been obliged to set up the DCCA.
Dolma said Rinpoche demanded a full, itemized accounting and requested that community funds be transferred to an expanded, independent community board to ensure compliance with Australian charity standards.
Here, the couple argued that this is untrue, as they had already started receiving orders from Rinpoche to begin distributing funds to Karma Kelvin from the DCCA account. The couple showed a screenshot of a message from Rinpoche’s sister asking for money to be paid to Karma Kelvin and for the accounts to reflect the payment as having been made to Kalu Rinpoche. The couple said this violates Australian law, so the wife paid through her personal BoB account instead.
The couple added that the controversy created by Kalu Rinpoche’s video may harm other Buddhist masters and organizations, as individuals on tourist and visitor visas are not permitted to raise funds or take cash from Australia.
Funds claim and counterclaims
Dolma said that while the plaintiffs’ legal notice asserts that AUD 525,435.33 in public donations was collected, official DCCA bank records (ANZ and CBA) show only AUD 446,702.29 in total gross deposits, leaving AUD 78,733.04 completely unaccounted for in official accounts.
“This is based on their own claim of total funds collected and bank statements shared by them. The counting of public donations from the two Perth events, which over 20,000 people attended, was conducted solely by their family members. An independent witness was missing for the funds collected in Perth, and they were not reflected in the DCCA bank account for almost two weeks, nor was Rinpoche given a final figure for many days. This clearly reflects a lack of transparency and a conflict of interest,” said Dolma.
Here, the couple contested the missing AUD 78,733 figure, stating it is incorrect and explaining that some payments did not reach the bank accounts immediately because the entire initiative started with zero funds. They had to make arrangements by borrowing money from individuals and using their personal funds, which had to be reimbursed before being deposited. They also stated that they have receipts and bills ready for all expenses.
Dolma said they have banking evidence showing that transfers were made by the wife from her personal bank account for claimed DCCA expenses. She stated this is illegal, as they are treating the DCCA account and personal accounts interchangeably, resulting in the comingling of an NGO account with a personal account, which violates ACNC regulations.
Here, the wife said they were responsible for the entire tour across five cities. Since there were no funds in the beginning, she used her own money, and now, instead of receiving gratitude, she is being blamed.
Legal suits and complaints
Dolma said that if legal proceedings commence, Rinpoche’s legal team will defend the suit in the Supreme Court of NSW, relying on statutory defenses of Substantial Truth (Section 25) and Qualified Privilege (Section 30).
Dolma stated that bank records reveal severe anomalies, including AUD 97,975 in cash held unbanked for 14 days after the Perth event, AUD 20,400 transferred into an auxiliary account, and direct payouts to family members and personal accounts.
Here, the wife explained that the AUD 97,975 in cash was collected from the first two days and took time to deposit because they were waking up at 4:30 am and working until midnight across multiple cities organizing everything; the money was deposited as soon as they found time. Regarding the AUD 20,400, the wife said she is unaware of the exact figures, though payments had to be made for loans or services rendered. She noted that volunteers had to be provided with food and T-shirts, even though she had received orders not to provide food to the volunteers.
Regarding who the proposed new board nominees were, Dolma said Rinpoche proposed adding respected, independent representatives from established Bhutanese community organizations across Australia to ensure transparent governance and statutory oversight, rather than personal allegiance to Rinpoche.
Dolma said that in the suit filed by the couple, Rinpoche’s team will compel the presentation of DCCA’s general ledger, merchant terminal settlement logs, and unredacted bank records via a Supreme Court subpoena, extending to the personal accounts of all DCCA Board members if necessary.
Dolma said they will file formal complaints with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) and Consumer Protection WA regarding severe governance breaches.
Dolma said they will provide the complete forensic dossier, including the AUD 78,733 unbanked deficit, delayed cash deposits, and auxiliary account transfers, to the WA Police Financial Crimes Squad for formal investigation.
The couple said they are ready for any investigation because they have done everything in accordance with Australian laws.
Regarding the AUD 38,500 charged by them for setting up the DCCA, the couple said the standard fee for establishing a non-profit of this nature through an Australian lawyer or professional would be AUD 60,000, given the required work and complexity. She noted that it took ABPI 10 years to receive charity registration, whereas the couple completed it for the DCCA in just a few months.
