Regulator rules ‘no evidence of charitable activity’ by Viva Palestina group
Charity Commission says that trustees of the organisation which funds aid convoys for Gaza, may have put publicly-donated funds at risk as a result of mismanagement or misconduct.
There is “no evidence of charitable activity” by a mismanaged Gaza aid charity, according to damning report from the Charity Commission published this week.
Viva Palestina, set up in 2009 to fund aid convoys for the people of Gaza, may not have conducted any charitable activity or distributed any humanitarian aid, according to the regulator.
Its founders did not originally apply to register Viva Palestina as a charity but the Commission formed the view that it was a charity and must therefore be registered. Concerns were raised in 2013, when regulators began their investigation.
In their findings issued this week, the Commission said Viva Palestina’s trustees put publicly-donated funds at risk as a result of their mismanagement and/or misconduct.
Whilst the inquiry saw some evidence that monies had been used to purchase medical supplies in-line with the charity’s objects, there was “little or no evidence that humanitarian aid was distributed to those in need”.
The Commission said the charity’s record-keeping was so poor that “it was difficult to establish with any certainty whether any charitable activity had taken place”.
Although no money made its way to Gaza, one of the charity’s former trustees received payments from the charity and mobile phones and radios were purchased with charity funds at “significant expenditure”.
The Commission also found evidence of unauthorised payments. One former employee claimed that they had been ordered to make financial transactions by one of the founders and a former trustee, who had no authority to do so.
Auditors also noted a “lack of proper control over employment,” a “lack of oversight over assets” and “a lack of clarity among the former trustees as to who was responsible for the charity’s day-to-day running”.
They concluded that the trustees “failed to act with reasonable care and skill in the control of their charity’s funds and the charity’s day-to-day management”, which amounts to misconduct and/or mismanagement.
Michelle Russell, director of investigations, monitoring and enforcement at the Charity Commission, said Viva Palestina was a “wholly inadequately managed charity”.
She added: “The public has a right to expect that those who serve as charity trustees take their responsibilities seriously, properly accounting for the charity’s income, assets, activities and its expenditure. This didn’t happen at Viva Palestina.
“We found little evidence that the intended beneficiaries received the support intended, despite the extensive fundraising by Viva Palestina. The former trustees thus badly let down the public to whom the charity is accountable.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
