The Charity Commission has appointed interim managers to Gilbert Deya Ministries, a registered charity based in South London.
The charity’s objects are to advance the Christian religion and provide assistance for persons in condition of need, hardship or distress.
It was placed under inquiry in 2016, over concerns about its governance and financial management.
Gilbert Deya Ministries has branches around the UK and was set up by Gilbert Deya, a Kenyan preacher, who refers to himself as the Archbishop of Peckham.
In January 2016, Deya was filmed by undercover Sun reporters claiming that special olive oil could cure HIV and cancer and that he could help infertile couples conceive. He denied the claims.
The regulator says that there have been several examples of misconduct and mismanagement by the charity’s trustees during the course of the inquiry, including financial transactions that ran counter to legal orders made by the Commission.
The charity is also in default of reporting requirements. Its accounts for the financial year ended December 2019 are over 140 days overdue. The charity’s previous three sets of annual accounts were filed late.
Data for the financial year ending 31 December 2018 puts its total income at £262,395 and total expenditure at £631,068.
Geoff Carton-Kelly and Philip Reynolds of FRP Advisory Trading Limited have been appointed as interim managers to review and assess the charity’s financial position and to make recommendations around whether it remains solvent and viable.
The trustees remain otherwise responsible for the charity.
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