Wednesday, December 14, 2022 – The charity at the heart of a Buckingham Palace race row is being looked at by the Charity Commission after a series of allegations about its finances and organisation were made online.
The Charity Commission is reportedly ‘assessing material’ related to abuse and domestic violence against charity Sistah Space, which offers support to victims of abuse and violence within the African and Caribbean communities.
The body has been asked to see if grants given to the charity ‘have been used as intended’, the Telegraph reports.
It comes after the charity’s founder, Ngozi Fulani, accused Prince William’s godmother, Lady Susan Hussey of making racist remarks at Buckingham Palace. The British-born founder of the charity Sistah Space, was asked where she was ‘really from’ by the former lady-in-waiting, who has since resigned from royal duties.
Sistah Space was ‘forced to temporarily cease’ many of its operations after Ngozi Fulani spoke out about her treatment by Lady Susan Hussey.
Ms Fulani said she suffered ‘horrific abuse’ on social media after the late Queen’s lady-in-waiting repeatedly challenged her when she said she was British.
In a statement on Instagram on Friday night, Sistah Space said: ‘Unfortunately recent events meant that we were forced to temporarily cease many of our operations to ensure the safety of our service users and our team.
‘We are overwhelmed by the amount of support and encouragement and look forward to fully reinstating our services as soon as safely possible.’
The watchdog has not announced an official investigation or inquiry into Sistah Space.
The charity, which operates throughout London, registered a total income of £363,506 for the financial year ending March 2021, including two government contracts worth £52,346.
This compares to just more than £50,000 in 2019. The charity, which is saving money to purchase a property as a refuge for victims of domestic violence and abuse, has also received donations from the Department for Culture, Media, Digital and Sport, and £60,000 from Comic Relief.
According to the Charity Commission’s website, the year’s financial report was received almost 70 days late.
The report describes the charity’s struggle to record accounts on time due to the sudden departure of its accounts officer, which caused ‘a massive disruption in the organisation’s ability to record accounts in a timely manner.’
It also highlighted problems faced by charities worldwide due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
It also cited ‘personal issues’ among staff members which led to long delays, but added: ‘We have now engaged an independent accounting firm and are confident that any issues are a thing of the past.’
A Charity Commission spokesperson said: ‘We are assessing material posted on social media about the charity Sistah Space to determine whether it raises matters that fall within the Charity Commission’s remit.’
A Sistah Space spokesperson told the Telegraph: ‘Sistah Space has not been approached by the Charity Commission.
‘What we do know is they are assessing information posted on social media, part of their normal procedure, but haven’t opened an official investigation, however should they contact us we will of course cooperate fully.’
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