New charity investigation: The Rav Chesed Trust
The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into The Rav Chesed Trust, registered charity number 803758.
The Charity Commission, the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales, has opened a new statutory inquiry into The Rav Chesed Trust (registered charity number 803758) for repeatedly defaulting on the submission of annual accounting information. The charity’s objects are for general charitable purposes. The inquiry opened on 9 July 2015.
The charity which is based in London and has objects for general charitable purposes was until recently part of the commission’s class inquiry into charities that have defaulted on 2 or more occasions on their legal obligations to submit annual accounting information to the regulator. On 19 February 2015, the charity came out of that inquiry because it had submitted the outstanding accounting information for the financial years ending 31 July 2011, 2012 and 2013. The inquiry report was published by the regulator on 20 May 2015.
Despite the regulator’s recent enforcement action to ensure the trustees were compliant, the charity failed to submit its annual accounts and returns for the latest financial year which were due by 31 May 2015.
Commission records show that the charity’s accounts, reports and annual returns have been submitted late for every year starting from the year ending 31 July 2005, and have only been submitted after the commission has taken action. Due to the trustees continuing non-compliance with their legal duties in respect of accounting requirements the regulator considers these concerns require dealing with in a statutory inquiry.
The issues the inquiry will examine include:
- the administration of the charity by the trustees, particularly in relation to whether the trustees have fulfilled their legal duties and responsibilities as charity trustees
- the financial management of the charity to determine whether the trustees have failed to properly manage the charity’s funds and therefore, have put the charity’s funds at risk
Since opening the inquiry, the charity has now submitted the outstanding information for the year ending 31 July 2014.
The purpose of an inquiry is to examine issues in detail and investigate and establish the facts so that the regulator can ascertain whether or not there has been misconduct or mismanagement; establish the extent of the risk to the charity’s property, beneficiaries or work; decide what action needs to be taken to resolve the serious concerns, if necessary using its investigative, protective and remedial powers to do so.
It is the commission’s policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing what issues the inquiry looked at, what actions were undertaken as part of the inquiry and what the outcomes were. Reports of previous inquiries by the commission are available on GOV.UK.
The charity’s details can be viewed on the commission’s online charity search tool.
Ends
PR 50/15
Notes to editors
- The Charity Commission is the independent registrar and regulator of charities in England and Wales, acting in the public’s interest, to ensure that: * charities know what they have to do * the public know what charities do * charities are held to account
- Section 46 of the Charities Act 2011 gives the commission the power to institute inquiries. The opening of an inquiry gives the commission access to a range of investigative, protective and remedial legal powers.
- The commission’s decision to announce the opening of a statutory inquiry is based on whether it is in the public interest to do so and with consideration of our objective to increase public trust and confidence in charities.
Read more information on the commission’s policy and factors taken into account when deciding to issue a press release.
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