Press release

New charity investigation: Kurdish Community Centre

The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into the Kurdish Community Centre, registered charity number 1083004.

The Charity Commission, the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales, has opened a statutory inquiry into the Kurdish Community Centre (registered charity number 1083004). The inquiry was opened on 19 February 2015.

The charity operates in London and has purposes to advance education, health and the relief of poverty working with people with from Kurdish community, refugees and asylum seekers.

The regulator’s investigation arises as the charity has not fully implemented the action plan the regulator had set it. The action plan was set in August 2013, including requiring steps to ensure material which might suggest they appeared to support a proscribed terrorist group was removed from the charity’s premises and introduce robust controls to manage the charity’s activities and the use of its premises.

The inquiry will examine the administration and governance of the charity, including its financial management, and the trustees’ compliance with legal duties and responsibilities and ensure compliance with the action plan.

On the 20 March 2015 the regulator exercised legal powers under section 84 of the Charities Act 2011 to direct the trustees to implement the action plan and take further steps in the interests of the charity.

The purpose of an inquiry is to examine issues in detail and investigate and establish the facts so that the regulator can ascertain whether 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 22/15


Notes to editors

  1. The Charity Commission is the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales.
  2. Our mission is to be 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
  3. 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. Section 84 of Charities Act 2011 gives the commission the power is to direct any action to be taken that it considers expedient in the interests of the charity.
  4. 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.

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Published 27 March 2015