Barnsley charity boss vents anger after fraud case is dropped by police

COUNCIL bosses who instigated a probe into a charity’s financial affairs have been accused of “demolishing 20 years of work with a groundless investigation” after police dropped a fraud case.

As revealed in the Yorkshire Post yesterday, directors of the Barnsley Black and Ethnic Minority Initiative (BBEMI) have been told they face no criminal action over allegations of financial mismanagement.

Barnsley Council cut off the charity’s £100,000-a-year grant and called in police over “financial concerns” last August, leading to the closure of BBEMI, which is now being wound up by a team of liquidators.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Last night, the charity’s former secretary Naeem Jarral furiously rounded on senior councillors and executives behind the complaint and said their actions had been “completely unwarranted”.

Mr Jarral, a director of BBEMI since it was founded more than a decade ago, added: “From day one we have been mistreated. The police raided our house while my wife and I were asleep.

“I have worked hard in the community since coming to Barnsley 20 years ago, but the way I was treated has made me wonder why I gave all that time and effort. I was made a monster.

“All the council needed was a simple auditor to look at the books and they would have come up with a result in 10 minutes, but instead they have spent taxpayers’ money on a police investigation.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Jarral told how police officers called in by the authority seized a mass of paperwork from his house, along with a laptop containing work belonging to his son, a medical student in Leeds.

Officers then refused to return the computer, meaning months of academic work had to be completed again to ensure that parts of the student’s course were not failed.

Mr Jarral added: “This whole complaint had nothing to do with financial irregularities and had more to do with the fact that the council did not want to fund the charity any more.

“I believe it shows that they have no respect for ethnic minority communities in Barnsley and sends a message that the town is not the place to be if you are a member of one of those communities.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“The council is now saying it has created some kind of ethnic minority group, but it is just trying to tick the right boxes. It has destroyed the future of Barnsley as a multi-cultural place.”

The leader of Barnsley Council, Coun Steve Houghton, yesterday vehemently denied that the authority had wanted to shut the charity down, but said he and his colleagues had been given “no option”.

He added: “Nothing could be further from the truth. The authority had always supported the BBEMI and funded it to the tune of more than £100,000 a year.

“There were two members of the council on the board and other forms of support to BBEMI were extremely robust.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I completely refute Mr Jarral’s accusation that the council wanted to close BBEMI down, but we had to take action when issues around the organisation were brought to our attention.

“The case was passed first to our internal audit and then it was passed to South Yorkshire Police. As a result, BBEMI is no longer operating services for the black and ethnic minority communities.

“I would also refute Mr Jarral’s claim that Barnsley is not a place for ethnic communities. We have set up a minorities equalities council in the borough and that has taken on the work very well.

“On the basis of the information that was provided to us we acted appropriately at all times and in the interests of taxpayers.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“The council is not owed any monies by BBEMI, but it is working with the liquidator on what will happen with any finances which are left.”

South Yorkshire Police has confirmed that “no significant evidence” of wrong-doing had been found a BBEMI, despite an extensive nine-month trawl of every aspect of its administration and finances. Detectives said they had passed the investigation back to the Charity Commission and Barnsley Council to decide what action, if any, to take next.