An updated list of documents relating to the Charity Commission investigation into Watchtower of Britain and Jehovah's Witnesses are available on JW Leaks.
JW LEAKS
ORIGINAL CHARITY COMMISSION PRESS RELEASE
Press
release
Charity
Commission investigates Jehovah's Witnesses charities
From:
The Charity Commission
First published:
10 June 2014
Statutory
inquiries opened into Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain and
Manchester New Moston Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses
The Charity
Commission, the regulator of charities in England and Wales, has opened
statutory inquiries into Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain (registered charity number 1077961), and one of the congregations, Manchester New Moston Congregation of
Jehovah’s Witnesses (registered charity number 1065201).
The
investigation into Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain is to examine:
· the charity’s handling of safeguarding matters, including the creation,
development, substance and implementation of its safeguarding policy
· the administration, governance and management of the charity by the
trustees and whether or not the trustees of the charity have complied with and
fulfilled their duties and responsibilities as trustees under charity law
· the charity’s safeguarding advice provided to congregation charities
The regulator
opened a case into the charity in July 2013 to examine concerns about the
trustees’ approach to dealing with safeguarding matters and discuss the scope
of the trustees’ duties and responsibilities under charity law in connection
with safeguarding issues. The Commission has corresponded with the charity and
met with its trustees in March 2014.
The charity has a
safeguarding policy and the trustees agree that the charity, and the
congregations, should have adequate safeguarding policies and procedures in
place. The inquiry is about the regulator assuring itself about the policy,
procedures and practices in light of recent events.
The Commission’s
duty to protect public trust in charity has prompted it to open a formal
inquiry to investigate these concerns. The Commission’s concerns have been
amplified by recent criminal cases concerning historic incidents of abuse
involving individuals who appear to have been connected to Jehovah’s Witnesses
congregations and/or the charity. In addition, there has been growing public
interest in how the charity and congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses deal with safeguarding
matters.
The
investigation into the Manchester New Moston Congregation of Jehovah’s
Witnesses is to examine:
· the charity’s handling of safeguarding matters, including its
safeguarding policy, procedures and practice
· how the charity dealt with the risks to the charity and its
beneficiaries, including the application of safeguarding policy and procedures
and any related policies and procedures particularly as regards the conviction
and release of a former trustee
· the administration, governance and management of the charity by the
trustees and whether or not the trustees of the charity have complied with and
fulfilled their duties and responsibilities as trustees under charity law
The Commission has
serious concerns about Manchester New Moston Congregation of Jehovah’s
Witnesses, having most recently opened a case into it in December 2013. There
has also been recent press coverage in connection with the conviction and
release of a former trustee of the charity.
The two
investigations announced today are separate but linked.
Trustees are under
a duty to act prudently and all times to act exclusively in the best interests
of the charity and to discharge their duties in accordance with their duty of
care. In consequence it is essential that charities engaged with children or vulnerable
people (a) have adequate safeguarding policies and procedures which reflect
both the law and best practice in this area, (b) ensure that trustees know what
their responsibilities are and (c) ensure that these policies are fully
implemented.
The Commission
stresses that it is not a safeguarding authority and its inquiries will not
investigate allegations of abuse or actual incidents of abuse, whether historic
or recent. Its concern is with the proper regulation of charities. Anyone with
concerns about specific incidents of alleged abuses, whether historic or
recent, for any charity, should report their concerns to the police and the
relevant safeguarding authorities.
The
trustees of each of the charities have indicated to the Commission that they
intend to challenge the regulator’s decisions to open the statutory inquiries
in the First-tier Tribunal (Charity).
Notes
to Editors
1. The Charity
Commission is
the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales.
2. Our mission is to be the independent registrar and regulator of
charities in England and Wales, acting in the public’s interest, to ensure that
charities know what they have to do; the public know what charities do and
charities are held to account.
3. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain is the national governing
body for all the Jehovah’s Witnesses Congregations. There are 1354 individual
congregations registered as charities.
4. The inquiry into Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain was
opened on 27 May 2014.
5. The inquiry into Manchester New Moston Congregation of Jehovah’s
Witnesses was opened on 30 May 2014.
6. Statutory inquiries are the Commission’s most serious type of engagement
with charities; the opening of an inquiry gives the Commission access to a
range of protective and remedial powers.
7. It is the Commission’s policy, after it has concluded the inquiry, to
publish a report detailing what issues the inquiry looked at, what actions were
undertaken as part of the inquiry and what the outcomes were. Reports of
previous inquiries by the Commission are available on its website.
