Commission finds 'little governance' at charity accused of distributing terrorist literature

22 Mar 2019 News

A charity accused of distributing leaflets promoting terror against a minority group has been found to have “little to no governance infrastructure”, the Charity Commission has said.

Khatme Nubuwwat Centre, formerly known as Aalami Majlise Tahaffuze Khatme Nubuwwat, which runs Stockwell Green Mosque and exists to advance Islam was deemed responsible for “unacceptable” behaviour following the conclusion of a Commission inquiry.

The report said that the charity had “little to no governance infrastructure in place or other policies or controls to assist the trustees to manage the charity”.

The Commission launched the inquiry into the charity in September 2016 after a compliance visit, which was triggered by the BBC publishing an article revealing that leaflets saying “Kill Ahmadis”, (a minority sect of Islam) had been found at the mosque. It was established that the leaflets were authored by a Pakistani organisation of the same time, and concerns were raised about the connection between these groups.

The visit also raised concerns that the charity was not following its governing document, had failed to file financial information on time and that the trustees were involved in a dispute that held up the Commission’s enquiries.

The report said: “The trustees demonstrated behaviour which was unacceptable and fell below the standard expected of them and resulted in the Commission being unable to adequately complete its enquires and resolve its regulatory concerns.”

The Commission found that the Pakistani organisation used the same contact details as the charity on its website. The charity said that they were not under the same governance, had not granted them permission to use the same contact details, were unaware of the existence of the leaflets, and that they had only communicated with the Pakistani group for academic purposes. However, the Commission found a letter from 2014 signed by the charity’s trustees and the Pakistani organisation stating that the Pakistani group was to have control over the appointment of charity staff, payment of bill and the collection of funds. One of the trustees that signed the document is still in post.

The report said: “The charity’s association with the Pakistani organisation could lead beneficiaries and the public, more generally, to infer that the charity supports the views of the Pakistani organisation as expressed on its website.”

Financial failings

The Commission also found that the charity filed its annual report late in 2014. It filed both its annual accounts and reports for 2015 and 2017 late. This led to the Commission issuing an official warning to the charity in February 2019.

Governance failings

The Commission concluded that the charity was in breach of its governing document, as it did not include reference to the provision of a place of worship, despite the charity running a mosque, Stockwell Green Mosque. It also found that, due to the internal disputes amongst the trustees, the charity had failed to hold regular meetings of its trustees, as promised in its governing document. It also found that the charity had no framework for regulating the distribution of literature or hosting of speakers at the mosque.

Although it has commissioned an independent review to assess its relationship with the Pakistani organisation, the Commission took issue with the scope of the review-  concluding that the report only covered its current association with the group, and not its former ties.

The inquiry said the review  sas“misleading” and that it was “contradicted by accounts and information provided to the Commission by some of the trustees”.

Michelle Russell, director of investigations, monitoring and enforcement said: “Our inquiry concluded that the trustees did not properly discharge their duties under charity law and were responsible for a series of failings amounting to misconduct and/or mismanagement. These failings led the charity to be associated with material that was wholly unacceptable and offensive and disparaging to the Ahmadi community.”

Progress

Since the opening of the inquiry, the charity has reportedly solved the internal dispute among its trustees, three have resigned and been replaced by three new trustees. It changed its name to distance itself from the Pakistani organisation and has removed its links to the group. It has also created a new governing document, under Commission instruction and has introduced policies to improve both its finances and mechanisms for booking speakers.

Russell added: “As a result of our inquiry, the charity’s trustees have now taken steps to improve its governance. We expect the trustees to continue to protect the charity’s identity, and comply with charity law, so that the charity can have a positive impact on people’s lives.”

Khatme Nubuwwat Centre was founded in 1990. It is governed by six trustees and operates in Lambeth. Its annual income for the year ending 2018 was £56,900.

Civil Society News was unable to reach the charity for comment.

 

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