The charities regulator has warned non-profit organisations of the
risk that donations may be used to fund terrorism, after a report found a
“handful” were engaging in the practice.
The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) said assets could be misused, or groups could be infiltrated by supporters of terrorism.
“While overwhelmingly charities operate honestly and professionally,
there is nonetheless the risk of misuse for illegal or improper
purposes,” ACNC commissioner Susan Pascoe said.
The Raising Funds to Support Terrorism
report, released recently by the anti-money laundering body Austrac,
found that the risks of misuse of charitable money was high, but the
incidence of it was low.
“The risks associated with the misuse of charities and not-for-profit
organisations [NPOs] are high as these organisations offer the capacity
for groups to raise relatively large amounts of money over time,” the
report said.
“However, this risk should be considered in the context of the
relatively low incidence of terrorism financing in Australia, and the
low value of funds suspected to have been raised in Australia to date.
“While charities and NPOs are one of the more significant Australian
terrorism financing channels, they have not featured in a large number
of Australian terrorism financing cases. Rather than representing a
sector-wide risk, terrorism financing in Australia has been limited to a
handful of charities and NPOs,” it said.
Austrac has issued a particular warning for Australians wishing to donate to help Syrians.
“Charities and NPOs which operate in crises and war zones overseas
are at risk of being infiltrated and exploited by terrorist groups in
these areas. Funds sent to Syria and neighbouring countries for
humanitarian aid are at increased risk of being used for financing
terrorism if they are sent through less-established or start-up
charities and NPOs,” the report said.
“Those
wanting to send funds to Syria for family and humanitarian purposes are
advised to do so by donating to a United Nations humanitarian agency or
to an Australian humanitarian organisation.”
The ACNC has released new guidelines for charities
on how to avoid being inadvertently exploited. The checklist arms
charities with information on how to tell if the their assets are being
misused, or they have been infiltrated by someone supporting terrorism
activities.
Pascoe said the risk was particularly concerning for Australia, as
ACNC data showed about 17% of registered charities operated overseas.
“The heightened risk means all charities must take reasonable
precautions and exercise due diligence to ensure that funds are not
inadvertently directed towards terrorism. The ACNC has worked across
government and with the sector to help charities protect themselves
against this threat,” she said.
The executive director of the Australian Council for International
Development, Marc Purcell, said the checklist was a good reminder for
organisations to remain vigilant, saying it “should be of interest” to
all council members.
Last week Westpac cut off all transfers to Somalia, due to fears that
money was being funnelled to terrorist organisations such as al-Shabaab.
Westpac was the last of the big four Australian banks to end
transfers to the country. Somali community leaders said the move would
drive more people to terrorist groups, as they would be unable to afford
food, shelter and other essentials usually paid for by family overseas.
Source:
The Guardian
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