The Foreign Ministry said Sunday it will dispatch a group of officials to the consulate-general in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao to look into allegations that a consul there failed to pay after having sex with prostitutes.

In a complaint made Saturday by a former local hire, part of the mission’s budget is allegedly misused for unintended purposes, while the consul-general has been pocketing some of funds allotted for public events.

The ministry said it will launch an investigation on the spot, though most allegations could not be true given its rules and in the current administrative environment.

A team of a director-level official from the Board of Audit and Inspection and others from the ministry will arrive in the eastern port city as early as Monday.

“If he was found to have sex with a prostitute, it is a violation of law and he would face a severe penalty that could not be offset even with a presidential medal,” a senior ministry official told reporters on customary condition of anonymity.

“The consul-general said though most allegations were untrue, he felt deeply responsible for the incident and vowed the utmost efforts to help reveal the truth.”

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)