UK Denies Probing Winners Chapel

0

The British Government, through its Charity Commission, has said it is not investigating Winners Chapel International, a church belonging to the popular pentecostal clergyman, Dr. David Oyedepo.

A spokeswoman for the commission said the CC was only considering the financial information provided by the church.

The CC is responsible for registering eligible organisations in England and Wales that are established for only charitable purposes, taking enforcement action when there is malpractice or misconduct and ensuring charities meet their legal requirements.

It also provides information on their activities each year, making appropriate information about each registered charity widely available, providing online services and guidance to help charities run as effectively as possible.

Responding to an email enquiry by our correspondent, the commission’s spokeswoman, Sarah Hitchings, said that the consideration of the church’s finances by the British Government did not qualify as conducting an investigation on the church.

Hitchings said, “We are not ‘investigating’ the charity. In the terms of our regulatory work, an ‘investigation’ is another word for ‘statutory inquiry’, the highest level of our investigatory work.

“We are not investigating Winners Chapel; we have an operational case open into the charity.

“We have now met with the trustees, and are satisfied that we have no regulatory concerns relating to conflicts of interest and the reputation management of the charity. We are still considering financial information supplied by the charity to reach a conclusion on the issue of financial management,” the spokeswoman stated.

Editor’s Picks  LASG warns estate residents against vandalism, rule-breaking 

She however added, “At this stage, we cannot comment on the details of the case; however, it is our usual policy to report on the outcomes of our work once we have reached a conclusion. Please note, we are not ‘investigating’ the charity.”

Courtesy:Punch