Is it permissible to pay the expiation for missed Ramadan fasts from Zakat money?

If the intention is to give out money for both zakat and expiation at the same time, then the expiation, according to the majority of scholars, must be given in the form of food and money is not sufficient. Some scholars have permitted giving its value in money if it is more beneficial for the poor, but this is a weaker opinion. It is permissible to adopt a weaker opinion and issue a fatwa based on it after the event has occurred.