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The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into the Abu Bakr Trust, which runs schools in the West Midlands.

The Charity Commission has launched an inquiry into the Abu Bakr Trust.

The Walsall-based charity’s activities include the running of four independent schools, a mosque, and other educational settings to advance the education of children.

The Commission’s inquiry is prompted by serious and ongoing concerns about the charity’s governance, debt levels, financial management and financial reporting, including the trustees’ failures to ensure Abu Bakr Trust’s annual statutory returns are filed on time with the Commission.

The regulator has previously engaged with the charity’s trustees in 2020 and 2022 about its governance and financial management.

The inquiry will examine:

• The trustees’ governance and management of the Abu Bakr Trust, including their failure to ensure annual returns are filed on time.
• The charity’s financial management, including its level of debt.
• Whether the trustees have properly exercised their legal duties and responsibilities under charity law.
• The extent of misconduct and/or mismanagement within the administration of the charity by its current and former trustees.

The Commission may extend the scope of the inquiry if additional regulatory issues emerge.

It is the Commission’s policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing the issues examined, any action taken, and the inquiry’s outcomes.

Notes to editors

1. The Charity Commission is the independent, non-ministerial government department that registers and regulates charities in England and Wales. Its purpose is to ensure charity can thrive and inspire trust so that people can improve lives and strengthen society.
2. The inquiry was opened on 25 October 2023 under section 46 of the Charities Act 2011.

Press office

Email pressenquiries@charitycommission.gov.uk

Out of hours press office contact number: 07785 748787

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