A Brighton mosque was poorly managed following the conviction of a former trustee for encouraging terrorism, a new investigation has revealed.
The Charity Commission launched an inquiry into Brighton Mosque & Muslim Community Centre on August 3, 2022, over concerns about serious governance failures.
The investigation’s findings, released on January 21, concluded there was misconduct and mismanagement in the charity’s administration.
The Charity Commission, which oversees charities in England and Wales, stepped in after discovering failures to resolve a serious dispute that had damaged the organisation’s governance.
The role included managing the charity’s finances and overseeing cash donations exceeding £17,000.
The regulator said: “The Commission’s intervention and the appointment of the interim manager were necessary to restore proper governance and administration to the charity.”
Having completed their responsibilities, the interim manager was removed from their position in December 2023.
Five new trustees were appointed by the regulator in August 2023 to run the charity, following a thorough recruitment exercise by the interim manager.
The inquiry also led to the disqualification of former trustee Dr Karim Aboutayab in July 2024 for a period of four years and six months.
The Commission found Dr Aboutayab had “greater culpability” for the mismanagement discovered in the charity’s affairs.
His misconduct included using an “inflammatory” tone towards others which contributed to escalating disputes, and failing to file the charity’s annual accounts on time.
Joshua Farbridge, head of inspections at the regulator, said: “Abusing a charity to encourage terrorism is a grave breach of public trust and we expect all trustees to take steps to ensure their charities cannot become safe havens for terrorist or extremist views.”
He added: “While the earlier criminal conviction was outside the scope of our inquiry, what occurred at Brighton Mosque and Muslim Community Centre demonstrates how serious disputes within a charity can not only severely impact its running and reputation, but leave a charity unprotected from the risk of exploitation by those with malign intentions.”