A faith group faces a probe by the government's charity watchdog following a report in the Harrow Times about how it was still fundraising for a stalled development project.
The Charity Commission is investigating the Sri Lankan Muslim Cultural Centre (SLMCC) after this paper revealed in February that it was soliciting donations for a building project without mentioning major obstacles to its delivery.
SLMCC has continued to solicit donations for the project in the weeks since our report, both online and at its premises in Whitefriars Avenue, Harrow.
In a prayer service broadcast online two weeks ago, a man was seen asking attendees to donate £250 each.
“Because of this Covid and some technical issue, still we haven’t got the planning permission,” he was filmed saying.
“We need about £80,000 to get that planning permission.”
The Times asked who the man was, where that figure came from and how it would be spent. SLMCC reps did not answer.
SLMCC wants to build an educational centre on land near the Barratt Way Industrial Estate, but has been met with resistance by Harrow Council.
The Charity Commission has now asked SLMCC to answer questions and hand over documents relating to the development scheme and the charity’s governance.
It has also questioned leaders over why they failed to declare a “serious incident” in response to the Times’s reporting in February.
What happened?
In 2019, SLMCC borrowed more than £1 million from its members and put it towards the purchase of 2A Tudor Road, a short walk from its current base.
It planned to turn it into a “Higher Islamic Educational Institute”.
It spent £2 million on the site (independently valued at £1.6 million), despite being told there was a restrictive covenant blocking its use “as a school, private asylum, hospital or charitable institution”.
A solicitor warned SLMCC that the covenant was “potentially fatal”, and a barrister said it “should not complete until this is resolved and ideally should apply for planning before”.
But it purchased the site anyway, without first obtaining planning permission.
In 2020, it sought “pre-application advice” from Harrow Council.
The council said the plan “would not be supported because 2A Tudor Road was “locally significant industrial land” and there was no “compelling evidence” supporting its use for any other purpose.
Planning permission has never been sought for the planned educational centre and SLMCC has since let part of the site to an auto-repair firm on a ten-year lease.
Rift
We found in February that a page on SLMCC’s website was soliciting donations towards “planning and architectural works” without mentioning the covenant or pre-application advice threatening the project’s viability.
As this article was published, on April 27, that webpage seeking contributions remained online and still did not mention the obstacles to the scheme’s delivery.
Our reporting in February uncovered a rift in the charity’s leadership over the scheme.
When we emailed SLMCC a list of questions, we received two different replies.
The first, from the charity’s official email address, was signed by its secretary, two of its trustees and two assistant treasurers.
It said: “This organisation has serious governance issues… A number of trustees have raised concerns about this project and was never taken seriously.”
We received a separate reply from charity president Segu Razeen’s personal email account, saying “the majority of trustees” were unaware of any governance issues.
Charity Commission records show SLMCC has 15 trustees in total.
Investigation
The Charity Commission is investigating some concerns raised directly by unknown complainants and other issues it “proactively identified” by reading the Harrow Times.
“We have opened a regulatory compliance case into the Sri Lankan Muslim Cultural Centre (SLMCC) regarding governance concerns,” a spokesperson said.
“We are currently assessing information and are engaging with trustees to inform any next steps.”
SLMCC and its president Mr Razeen were both approached for comment about the Charity Commission investigation and ongoing requests for donations towards the education centre.
We received no responses.
In response to our February report, Mr Razeen said: “We undergo annual audits carried out by professional and independent auditors.
“We are dedicated to maintaining transparency and all relevant information is made available to the public.”
He also said SLMCC had been “provided with sufficient evidence that the covenants would not impede the proposed development.”
He added: “We have encountered challenges with regards to planning permission and we are working to resolve the issue.”
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