Oxfam GB’s trustees acted “in good faith” over the controversial departure of its former chief executive, Halima Begum, a board review it commissioned has found.
A review conducted by senior employment lawyer Rebecca Tuck concluded that trustees with the responsibility to deal with the matter acted within their powers, the charity today announced.
However, in a brief statement, Oxfam’s board said the way Begum’s December 2025 departure “played out in public remains of huge regret”.
It also said Oxfam’s trustees would “continue to learn lessons from these events”.
“Given current circumstances, including wider ongoing legal proceedings, further or fuller disclosure of the full review would be inappropriate,” the board added.
Begum, appointed CEO in 2023, was “forced to leave” the charity after a review into concerns about her leadership, first revealed by the Times.
Soon after her departure, trustee Balwant Singh said Begum had been subject to “a carefully orchestrated and intentionally brutal retaliation and retribution in the national media”.
Begum’s lawyer then told the Times that she would be taking legal action against Oxfam for “defamatory and unfounded criticism”.
She had also lodged a grievance complaint related to “sexism, racism and bullying” against former chair Charles Gurassa, who denies the allegations.
The Charity Commission previously said it was considering governance and leadership issues raised since Begum’s departure as part of a compliance case, which it initially opened in relation to the charity’s restructure last year.
