The Charity Commission has appointed an interim manager to a charity, where a former trustee was convicted of encouraging terrorism.
Earlier this year, the regulator issued Brighton Mosque & Muslim Community Centre with an official warning, after the former trustee was convicted.
On 28 September 2022, the Commission appointed Andrew Wilkinson of Shakespeare Martineau LLP to take charge of the management and operation of the charity. He will identify and appoint new trustees to the charity.
Wilkinson confirmed his appointment by the Commission and said he was in the "early stages of planning the management of the charity going forward".
Former trustee convicted of encouraging terrorism
On 1 November 2020 the former trustee had given an uninvited speech at the charity’s premises encouraging people to take part in violent jihad.
This speech was delivered after evening prayers where approximately 50 people were present, including at least one trustee, children and young adults.
The former trustee was convicted at the Central Criminal Court of encouraging terrorism.
The regulator stated the trustees knew or ought to have known from previous issues that this trustee presented a risk to the charity.
It opened a statutory inquiry on 3 August 2022, due to regulatory concerns resulting from a failure to resolve a dispute at the charity.
The parties to the dispute have not, as advised repeatedly by the Commission, been able to appropriately settle the dispute in the best interests of the charity.
The regulator states there is an increased risk that appropriate actions will not be taken to protect the charity from further undue risk of harm.
The charity has also experienced financial management issues and submitted its statutory annual returns late for its past four financial periods.
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