Two Jewish charities in north London, Solev Co. Limited, and Hatzlocho Limited have come under heavy statutory inquiries by the Charity Commission over concerns of trustee management and administration. The investigation is focused on potential conflicts of interest and their financial reporting failures where both charities are alleged of inability to meet their legal obligations.
Financial concerns and conflict of interest
Established in 1967, the Solev Co. Limited has come under scrutiny based on issues regarding its governance. Its entire board was composed mainly of family members up until recently which undoubtedly is raising questions as regards the transparency of their decision-making.
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The Charity Commission, while not totally against the running of the Solev, has reiterated that the trustees for each charity must be able to act in the best interest of the said charity and handle conflicts of interest properly. In addition, the commission also stated that Solev has failed to submit its financial reports as required of it for the past five years, and is in default for its 2023 and 2024 accounts.
The Hatzlocho Limited on the other hand, a Charity that aims at advancing the Orthodox Jewish faith as well as supporting those in financial difficulty is facing the same charge. The investigators on their case are currently examining whether conflicts of interest among trustees have had any impact on the charity’s operations.
“Our role is to ensure charities uphold the highest standards of governance. These inquiries will determine if Solev and Hatzlocho have met their responsibilities.” noted the Charity Commission spokesperson.
The two Jewish leadership overlap raises questions
The recent resignations of Joseph Tager and Simon Tager from Solev and of Helen Tager Flusberg, Suzanne Tager, and Nicola Tager from Hatzlocho both point to a form of connection which upon closer investigation, a record from Companies House confirmed an overlap of trustees for both charities. Also, it was discovered that all three of Solev’s current trustees are also listed as Hatzlocho trustees, a fact that further intensified the growing concerns already existing over the governance structure.
The purpose of the ongoing Charity Commission investigation is to assess if indeed these connections have in any way influenced the charities’ decision-making process or its financial management. As the inquiries are still ongoing, the commission has taken the opportunity to re-emphasize the importance of transparency and compliance in the charity sector.