2 British Sikhs face charity fraud case

London, October 1

Britain’s counter-terrorism officers have charged a British Sikh duo, who were arrested in July, with fraud offences relating to charitable funds.

Rajbinder Kaur (50) is charged with money laundering and six counts of theft amounting to 50,000 pounds and Kaldip Singh Lehal (38) is charged with providing false or misleading information to the UK’s charity watchdog Charity Commission.

The Birmingham-based pair, believed to be related as brother and sister, are linked to Sikh Youth UK and were arrested on July 3 by the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit (WMCU).

“Kaur has been charged with money laundering, six counts of theft amounting to 50,000 pounds and one count under Section 60 of the Charities Act 2011 – knowingly or recklessly provide false or misleading information to the (Charity) Commission,” a West Midlands Police statement said.

“Lehal has been charged with one count under Section 60 of the Charities Act 2011 — knowingly or recklessly provide false or misleading information to the commission. They have been bailed to appear at Birmingham Magistrates Court on October 31,” it said.

The Charity Commission confirmed it is conducting a statutory inquiry into the Sikh Youth UK.

“We have worked closely with the police to support their investigation. We intend to publish a full report setting out our findings on conclusion of the inquiry,” a commission spokesperson said.

The outfit is not a registered UK charity, but the country’s independent charities watchdog said it has jurisdiction over its activities due to the funds being charitable. — PTI