Barnabas Aid Founder Resigns Over Financial Mismanagement Allegations
The fundraising arm in the USA says scrutiny of financial practices will ensure transparency
The founder of Barnabas Aid, an international charity helping persecuted Christians, has been suspended from his role in the organization due to concerns about financial mismanagement and a toxic work culture, Premier Christian News reported.
Patrick Sookhdeo, his wife Rosemarie, and two members of the United Kingdom board of trustees—Caroline Kerslake and Prasad Phillips—were suspended from leadership until an independent investigation can be completed.
London law firm Crowell & Moring is carrying out the investigation and is expected to report its findings to the board this fall.
While the U.S. affiliate and fundraising arm of Barnabas Aid, also known as Barnabas Fund, has a different CEO than the U.K. affiliate, the Sookhdeos, Kerslake, and Phillips are all listed as board members of Barnabas Aid in the U.S.A.
Following whistleblower complaints earlier this year, some members of the board began raising questions about the management of the charity and charity funds.
In a statement about the matter, Barnabas Aid said, “Sadly, we have identified examples of serious and repeated contraventions of internal policies; policies that were established to ensure the proper distribution of charitable donations.”
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The statement said it appears the Sookhdeos were among those who failed to comply with the internal policies and created a “toxic work environment” that undermined the staff’s feeling that they could voice their concerns.
“In addition, we have also identified significant payments made to the founders (and to others close to them—including some Board Members/Trustees) which cannot be readily explained. Ample opportunity has been provided to the founders to explain those transactions but sadly they have refused to cooperate,” the Barnabas Aid statement added.
“We have let our supporters down, we have let the Lord down and we have let the suffering and persecuted Church down.”
Jeremy Frith, CEO of Barnabas Aid USA, provided this statement that he said was sent to supporters:
In the first part of 2024, a series of whistle-blowing allegations were made against senior figures at Barnabas Aid: namely, Patrick Sookhdeo (International Director), Caroline Kerslake (International Director of Projects), Prasad Phillips (Deputy International Director) and Noel Frost (then the International CEO).
Some of the figures named above were responsible for creating a toxic work environment which resulted in staff in our UK Head Office feeling entirely unable to routinely voice concerns. In April, each of these individuals were suspended pending investigations, which are being carried out by an independent third-party law firm. These investigations are still ongoing.
As a result of these reports, Noel Frost was dismissed from his position in June. On August 12th, the four chairs of Barnabas Aid in Australia, New Zealand, the USA and the United Kingdom wrote to Patrick and Rosemary Sookhdeo, Caroline Kerslake and Prasad Phillips, requiring them all to resign from Barnabas Aid.
We have appointed a firm of forensic accountants to conduct further investigations into the finances of Barnabas Aid. We have also shared the interim report with the United Kingdom Charity Commission, and we will be sharing it with other regulators and stakeholders in other jurisdictions as appropriate.
There is now an unprecedented level of scrutiny on our financial processes to ensure transparency and accountability and any money donated to us will be used to help persecuted Christians.
Frith said that was the only statement the group could make until after the investigation is completed.
Barnabas Founder Patrick Sookhdeo was found guilty in 2015 for one count of sexual assault and two counts of witness intimidation, charges Sookhdeo vehemently denies.
A few years later, in 2020, a UK employment tribunal found Sookhdeo guilty of condemning and shunning the ministry’s head of research, Dr. Martin Parsons. Barnabas said in a statement that at the time of the allegations, Sookhdeo was not working for Barnabas, but was working in its offices while carrying out his role for the Oxford Centre for Religion and Public Life.
In 2022, MinistryWatch investigated the international structure of Barnabas Aid. Frith admitted the group does a poor job of communicating.
Christian Relief International (CRI) is the parent company over Barnabas Aid operations in the U.S. and UK, as well as administrative offices in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Russia.
According to Frith, U.S. gifts sent to Barnabas Aid go to CRI, which then distributes funds to partners around the world. Frith says no overhead fee is assessed along the way, with only credit card processing fees decreasing the gifts size before it reaches the intended recipients.
Barnabas has a small team, with only 4 employees in the U.S. and fewer than 100 worldwide, but it funds projects in over 50 countries where Christians are victims of discrimination, harassment, and persecution.
Most of these projects come from proposals by ministries to whom Barnabas awards grants or to long-time partners. Most of them are churches that have proven to be accountable and are well positioned to carry out the work. Barnabas has consistently funded some groups for decades.
In the MinistryWatch database, Barnabas Aid (USA) receives a four-star financial efficiency rating, an A transparency grade, and the highest donor confidence score of 100. However, these scores evaluate the US-registered entity, and not the UK organization.
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