Watchdog launches inquiry into Dudley charity's accounts
A watchdog has launched an inquiry into a Dudley charity after it failed to publish its accounting information four years in a row.
The Charity Commission said accounts from 2018 were still outstanding at Dudley Central Mosque and Muslim Community Centre, on Birmingham Street.
And the regulator raised concerns over the administration and governance issues at the site after it was forced to intervene the same year due to a dispute.
The charity been the subject of three regulatory compliance cases in the last four years, all of which examined issues between two groups representing it.
Commission chiefs issued formal regulatory advice in 2018, advising the charity to seek legal advice to establish the official trustees in line with its constitution.
It asked the two sides to mediate and agree to hold an election overseen by an independent committee. One took place but one side disputed the independence of it and governance issues remained, the watchdog said.
The centre was placed into the regulator's "double defaulters" class inquiry in March this year after it failed to submit its annual reports, accounts and annual returns for four years in a row.
Accounting information since March 2018 is still outstanding and the watchdog is concerned that "despite previous engagement and regulatory advice, the charity has not resolved its administration and governance issues. For this reason, a statutory inquiry was opened on July 1, 2022".
The inquiry will examine the administration, governance and management of the charity and in particular whether it is being managed in accordance with its governing document, and examine the failure to comply with legal obligations in relation to the filing of the charity’s accounts and annual returns.
Dudley Central Mosque and Muslim Community Centre has been contacted for comment.
