The Charity Commission has today published a report on its investigation into Eelapatheeswarar Aalayam.

The investigation was opened following complaints of alleged links between some of the trustees and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, (the LTTE), an organisation that is proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000.

In light of the allegations of links between some of the trustees and a proscribed organisation, the Commission opened its investigation into the charity to consider whether there were concerns about those individuals' suitability to hold their position, whether the trustees had discharged their duties and responsibilities to the charity about handling the allegations and whether they were ensuring that the charity and its reputation were protected.

The Commission found no evidence that the trustees had made public statements of support, even in ambiguous terms, for the LTTE, or had used language or imagery associated with the LTTE in a way which could inadvertently promote its causes or activities.

The Commission found that the trustees had discharged their duties in handling the allegations and concerns properly and appropriately.

The Commission's report on the investigation provides wider lessons for the sector and makes clear that it is the responsibility of trustees to safeguard their charity from the risk of abuse, including terrorist abuse.

The Commission will support them in doing this, and believes that the most effective way to minimise the risk of abuse is through implementing strong governance and financial arrangements.

In November 2009, the Charity Commission launched an online toolkit for trustees on protecting their charity from potential harm and abuse.

The first chapter, Charities and Terrorism, can be found on the Commission's website - http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/Library/investigations/pdfs/toolkitsum.pdf

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