London-based Islamic Relief Worldwide was named among last year’s beneficiaries of the Scottish Government’s International Development Fund in a list revealed by SNP External Affairs minister Humza Yousaf last week. But it emerged that just four months ago, UBS bank closed an account held by IRW under counter-terrorism rules.
‘February 25, 2013 Islamic Relief Worldwide was given £398,000 last year as part of the Scottish Government’s £9million International Development Fund. But concerns have been raised after it emerged that a bank recently closed an account held by IRW and blocked all transactions because of regulations to prevent funds reaching rogue states. It was also revealed that a project director with IRW in Gaza was deported by Israel in 2006 for allegedly providing ‘funds and assistance to various Hamas institutions and organisations’. Politicians must ensure that the necessary checks are made into an outside organisation’s legitimacy whenever handing them taxpayers’ money. Jonathan Isaby, of Taxpayer Scotland It has raised serious questions over whether the ‘necessary checks’ are being made on organisations funded by Scotland’s controversial foreign aid scheme, which has cost taxpayers more than £33million since the SNP came to power in 2007. London-based IRW was named among last year’s beneficiaries of the Scottish Government’s International Development Fund in a list revealed by SNP External Affairs minister Humza Yousaf last week. But it emerged that just four months ago, UBS bank closed an account held by IRW under counter-terrorism rules. Previously, the charity had sparked controversy after a senior staff member was arrested in Israel and deported over alleged links to terrorist group Hamas. In 2006, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Iyaz Ali, a Pakistani-born British national, was caught with ‘documents that attested to the organisation’s ties with illegal Hamas funds abroad’.
A post from November 2012 reported that Islamic Relief had recently had its bank account close by UBS in connection with counter-terrorism concerns. It was not clear from that report whether the closure applied to the Islamic Relief Worldwide and/or its U.K. subsidiary:
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This flagrant misuse of taxpayer and public money alone should be a call for DIRECT DEMOCRACY I am sick to the back teeth of Scottish taxpayers hard earned cash being siphoned off on a whim by politicians who are more eager to address problems in other countries than they are to address the many problems currently being faced in Scotland by Scots
Scots are NOT responsible for the plight of other countries or their citizens , the responsibility rests with their governments and governance , charity MUST begin at home and address the many problems that politicians are responsible for , it is their lack of good governance that creates many of these problems
The money that the snp has thrown about and at their pet projects needs to be investigated , many of these organisations who are majority funded from the snp SG are working AGAINST the wishes and greater good of the majority of taxpayers who pay their taxes , these politicians are eager and willing to give away taxpayer funds to their pet projects irrespective of the objections and opposition from the electorate , if they are so concerned about their pet projects they should be funding them from their own resources and using taxpayers monies to benefit Scotland and Scots
The money that the snp SG has used to pursue and fight for unwanted and unlawful policies majorly opposed by the electorate runs into £100s millions of pounds which SHOULD have been used for the benefit of Scotland and Scots
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You are so right. Finance allocated to Scotland should be used for the health and wellbeing of Scots. Foreign affair is not devolved and handing in excess of £100 million to Hamas cannot be legal. The SNP leadership needs to held to account through a public Inquiry so that Scots can be assured their govrnment acts only in their interest
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