The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into aid charity Anaya Aid after the charity had €23,000 (£20,345) and £1,500 in cash seized by UK Ports Officers.
Anaya Aid is a humanitarian aid charity which responds to emergency and disaster around the world. In April police told the Commission that a trustee had been stopped and the funds are now the subject of a cash detention order.
It was established in 2013 and has an annual income of £418,000, all of which was in the form of donations and legacies. Activity involves organising aid convoys and running an orphan sponsorship programme.
This is the second inquiry the Commission has opened relating to cash being seized in the last six months at ports. In April an inquiry was opened into to Aid for the Needy and Oppressed where £20,000 had been seized.
Earlier this year the Commission issued an alert strongly advising charities against the use of cash couriers.
Commission involvement
The Commission had also previously engaged with Anaya Aid over a similar issue.
In 2015 it had been contacted by police after £5,000 was seized. The Commission provided advice and guidance and urged the charity against cash couriering.
The Commission also said it has carried out three compliance visits to the charity over a “range of regulatory concerns” relating to its work in Syria and its partners and issued the charity with an action plan, which trustees have not followed.
It has now opened an inquiry and directed the charity to “take specific actions within set timeframes” and has restricted the transactions the charity can do without consent from the regulator.
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