The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into a religious charity that failed to enact the action plan provided by the regulator.
Yesterday the regulator announced that it is investigating the Jamia Hanfia Ghosia Mosque and Princess Street Resource Centre over concerns of mismanagement and misconduct in the charity’s administration.
In March 2020, the regulator began engaging with the charity to address regulatory concerns and a dispute about whether the current trustees were validly appointed.
The Commission issued the charity with an action plan that required an election to be held by 31 March 2022. This did not take place.
But the charity failed to hold an election in time, and this contributed to the Commission’s decision to escalate the case to an inquiry.
Negative impact on the charity's administration and reputation
“The ongoing dispute has had a negative impact on the charity’s governance and administration and its beneficiaries and has resulted in many members of the community not accessing the charity’s services,” the Charity Commission said.
The inquiry will examine whether there has been misconduct or mismanagement in the administration of the charity by the trustees.
It will also examine whether the trustees have complied with their duties under charity law, with a particular focus on their failure to hold an open and fair election.
According to the accounts it filed with the Charity Commission, the charity has a total income of over £89,000 for the financial year ending March 2021, with an expenditure of just over £62,000.
The charity filed its accounts late in 2019, 2020 and 2022.
Election failed to take place
An announcement on the charity's website dated 1 April, a day after the Commission's deadline, said the charity is hosting an election to recruit trustees. Namely, a president, chair, secretary and treasurer.
The list of candidates will be announced on 29 April, according to the press release, with the election date set for 5 May.
Civil Society News approached the charity to see if this election will still go ahead following the inquiry but the spokesperson from the charity declined to comment.
There are 12 trustees of the charity. None of them have any other trusteeships on record.
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