Commission restricts bank accounts of charity as it opens inquiry

09 Mar 2018 News

Charity Commission's London offices

The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry and placed restrictions on the bank accounts of a charity after a complaint about how it was spending its money.

Kenya Community Support Network is based in Essex and provides information, advice and guidance on issues such as immigration, sexual health including HIV/AIDS, welfare benefit, housing and access to education.

Last autumn the Commission received a complaint that the charity was not spending its money on its objectives, and the regulator said that there are “strong indicators that show that the charity is being used for significant private benefit”. 

It opened a formal investigation on 22 January and has restricted the transactions from the charity’s bank account. As a result, the charity cannot make payments or part with any of the charity’s assets without the Commission’s prior written approval.

The inquiry will address concerns about whether trustees have complied with charity law, the financial management of the charity, whether it is fulfilling its public benefit objectives, and whether there has been any misconduct and/or mismanagement by trustees. 

Kenya Community Support Network had an income of £21,000 for the year ending March 2017, a significant drop from the previous year when it hasd nearly £150,000, and spent £130,000 on charitable activity. 

Its accounts for the year ending March 2016 show it received a £110,000 grant from Comic Relief. 

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