Charity Commission worked closely with West Midlands Police to support investigation into individuals connected to Sikh Youth UK
The Charity Commission today (9th January 2025) welcomed the sentencing of Rajbinder Kaur and Khaldip Singh Lehal.
Rajbinder Kaur has been jailed for 2 years and 8 months after being convicted of money laundering and six counts of theft, amounting to £50,000. This followed her theft of money that had been donated to Sikh Youth UK.
Kaur was also found guilty of knowingly or recklessly providing false or misleading information to the Charity Commission, in an attempt to cover up the theft - as was her brother, Khaldip Singh Lehal.
Singh has been given a four-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, with 80 hours of unpaid work.
It is a significant step for individuals to be convicted for providing the Charity Commission with false or misleading information, under section 60 of the Charities Act 2011, and the sentences underline how seriously the courts take this crime.
The Charity Commission launched a statutory inquiry into funds held by, and raised in connection with, Sikh Youth UK in October 2018, after West Midlands Police passed on concerns relating to charitable funds raised in the name of the organisation.
The Commission provided crucial evidence to support the police in their investigation and provided written and oral evidence to the court which helped secure the convictions.
Charity Commission Deputy Director for Specialist Investigations and Standards, Tim Hopkins, said:
We welcome the strong message given today that the theft of charity funds for personal gain will not be tolerated by the courts.
Additionally, both siblings' criminal convictions for providing false or misleading information to the Charity Commission highlights how seriously the courts take the offence.
We have worked closely with the police on this case to make sure that these actions did not go unpunished.
In working together, the Commission and the police were able to effectively deliver justice, as well as uphold public trust in charitable giving.
