A British aid group whose representative had links to Al Qaeda has been removed from the UK charity register after it failed to account for £3 million (Dh14.7m) worth of aid.
Aid Convoy is the latest Muslim charity to be investigated by regulators over governance and accounting issues.
Last week, Islamic Relief Worldwide was forced to restructure after revelations that its trustees had shown support for Hamas and Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood on social media.
On Friday, the Charity Commission announced it had removed Aid Convoy from its register.
The charity, which launched in 2012, was involved in the organisation of aid convoys to the border between Turkey and Syria.
One of its workers, Tauqir Sharif, was deprived of his UK citizenship by the Home Secretary in 2017 because it was assessed that he had travelled to Syria and was working with Al Qaeda.
He was the face of the charity's social media videos accounting for the aid sent to Syria.
Despite being told to review the charity’s relationship with him, the trustees told the commission “this is not a decision we are willing to rush into”.
Also in 2017, the charity shipped 48 containers purporting to contain £3m of aid that was not accounted for.
The watchdog found the charity guilty of misconduct and mismanagement and disqualified two of its trustees, Muhammed Abdul Mumin and Asim Shafaq, from being trustees or senior managers of any charity in England and Wales for eight years.
"The action we have taken here, on behalf of the public, has protected the charity sector from further harm and held the responsible individuals to account," said Tim Hopkins, Assistant Director of Inquiries and Investigations at the Charity Commission.
"But this case highlights the damaging effects of trustees failing to properly safeguard or protect a charity from associations with terrorism. Ultimately, the trustees did not honour the trust donors placed in them by giving generously to help people affected by the crisis in Syria.
"Good governance is not a bureaucratic detail – it underpins the delivery of a charity’s purpose to the high standards required under charity law and which the public rightly expect.
"The trustees failed to live up to those standards, committing repeated acts of mismanagement and misconduct, and aligning the charity to individuals whose past conduct posed a threat to their charity."
The regulator uncovered a series of examples of mismanagement over the course of two inquiries.
These included repeated non-compliance with reporting requirements, significant under-reporting of its income, the provision of false or misleading information to the regulator, and the use of trustees’ personal bank accounts when the charity’s bank withdrew its services.
The regulator found that in the 2017 financial year, trustees said the charity had sent 48 containers of aid to Syria, valued at an average of £60,000 each, but could not provide adequate records of what was in those containers.
"There was a risk that because the trustees do not know what is included in each container, they could not accurately account for the end use of the donated goods," it said.
"The trustees fail to keep accurate records of what goods are loaded into containers, therefore are unable to assess whether all goods are accounted for once the container reached Syria, and that they have not fallen into the hands of terrorist organisations."
The first inquiry was opened in 2013 following two cash seizures by the police at UK ports.
As a result of the police investigation and the inquiry, the charity suspended all aid convoys.
The regulator then found serious concerns about the charity’s financial management and took action to freeze its bank account.
Further probes found severe weaknesses in the charity’s processes for ensuring monies and goods went to the people the charity was set up to help.
In 2016, the regulator issued an order directing the then trustees to take steps to improve the charity’s governance and financial management.
A second inquiry was opened in 2018 after the charity’s then trustees failed to comply with it.
The second inquiry found that the charity was handling donations of controlled substances, including morphine, without the required licence.
"These were collected in appeals for shipments to Syria but the trustees did not know what was included in containers and so could not account for the end use of donations or be sure that they did not fall into the hands of terrorist organisations," it said.
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Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
The years Ramadan fell in May
Votes
Total votes: 1.8 million
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So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
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BMW M5 specs
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Power: 727hp
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Feeding the thousands for iftar
Six industrial scale vats of 500litres each are used to cook the kanji or broth
Each vat contains kanji or porridge to feed 1,000 people
The rice porridge is poured into a 500ml plastic box
350 plastic tubs are placed in one container trolley
Each aluminium container trolley weighing 300kg is unloaded by a small crane fitted on a truck
bundesliga results
Mainz 0 Augsburg 1 (Niederlechner 1')
Schalke 1 (Caligiuri pen 51') Bayer Leverkusen 1 (Miranda og 81')
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What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
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The biog
Age: 30
Position: Senior lab superintendent at Emirates Global Aluminium
Education: Bachelor of science in chemical engineering, post graduate degree in light metal reduction technology
Favourite part of job: The challenge, because it is challenging
Favourite quote: “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” Gandi
Manchester United's summer dealings
In
Victor Lindelof (Benfica) £30.7 million
Romelu Lukaku (Everton) £75 million
Nemanja Matic (Chelsea) £40 million
Out
Zlatan Ibrahimovic Released
Wayne Rooney (Everton) Free transfer
Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad) £9.8 million
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
How to become a Boglehead
Bogleheads follow simple investing philosophies to build their wealth and live better lives. Just follow these steps.
• Spend less than you earn and save the rest. You can do this by earning more, or being frugal. Better still, do both.
• Invest early, invest often. It takes time to grow your wealth on the stock market. The sooner you begin, the better.
• Choose the right level of risk. Don't gamble by investing in get-rich-quick schemes or high-risk plays. Don't play it too safe, either, by leaving long-term savings in cash.
• Diversify. Do not keep all your eggs in one basket. Spread your money between different companies, sectors, markets and asset classes such as bonds and property.
• Keep charges low. The biggest drag on investment performance is all the charges you pay to advisers and active fund managers.
• Keep it simple. Complexity is your enemy. You can build a balanced, diversified portfolio with just a handful of ETFs.
• Forget timing the market. Nobody knows where share prices will go next, so don't try to second-guess them.
• Stick with it. Do not sell up in a market crash. Use the opportunity to invest more at the lower price.
