05/01/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/01/2024 02:08
The Charity Commission has opened an inquiry into We Care Foundation.
The inquiry was opened on 25 January 2024 and will look into concerns around trustees' decision-making and payments from the charity to its trustees and their related companies.
We Care Foundation provides financial and other aid to victims of war or natural disaster overseas, as well as aid for refugees in Bristol.
The Commission began engaging with the charity in June 2022, and a statutory inquiry was opened after concerns were identified in its governance and financial management.
These concerns included substantial payments from the charity to its trustees and companies for which they are directors. The payments were not disclosed in the charity's accounts and have not been adequately explained to the Commission.
There was a period when the charity had only two trustees, who were married at the time, and their decision-making should have been limited to appointing the required number of trustees. However, the Commission is concerned that significant decisions about the charity's finances and management were made at this time.
As a result of these concerns, the Commission has now frozen the bank accounts of the charity to safeguard its funds.
The inquiry will examine:
The regulator may extend the scope of the inquiry if additional regulatory issues emerge.
It is the Commission's policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing the issues examined, any action taken, and the inquiry's outcomes.
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