DOHA: Charity organisations in Qatar indulging in politics, or sending or receiving money to/from other countries without approval from the regulatory authority will face action, including termination of their activities, according to a new law issued yesterday.
The Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani issued law No. 15 of 2014 regulating and organising charitable activities in the country.
Organisations or individuals violating the law could face maximum three years in jail and QR100,000 fine. The law with 54 articles is based on Emiri decree No. 43 of 2014, establishing the authority to regulate charitable activities. All private charity organisations and institutions should work under the authority that will promote and regulate their activities, the law stipulates. All other bodies having permission to conduct charitable activities will also be regulated by the authority as well as individuals who have permission to collect donations and transfer funds for charitable purposes. The peninsula
Private institutions have no permission to collect funds without approval from the council of the Authority and the permission will be for a specific period and a specific purpose.
Private charities are obliged to provide all information to help the Authority play its monitoring role. The Authority has the mandate to inspect organisations raising funds and ask for related documents and bank statements or any specific information related to fundraising.
The funds of the organisation are considered its property, not the property of any of its members or any member who has left the organisation.
The organisation should keep all documents and files stating details of financial account at its headquarters.
It should deposit all cash in its name in one or more local banks which its board of directors will choose. The funds cannot be withdrawn from the bank without the signature of the chairman of its directors’ board or his deputy as well as the treasurer.
The organisation is permitted to invest proceeds from its activities inside the country with the approval of the Authority.
The board of directors should submit properly audited annual financial reports and budgetary proposals for the next year to its annual general assembly at least one month before its meeting.
Charities are not permitted to join any other charitable body outside the country without approval from the Authority.
They are not allowed to receive/send funds from/to another organisation outside the country without approval from the authority.
In such cases, they should submit details of the transactions with a copy of the receipt and name and address of the receiver.
The Authority’s governing council can take a decision to grant permission to a registered charity outside the country to open a bank account here if it is working for the same goals. However, this will require approval from the State Cabinet.
The Authority can dissolve a charity if the number of its members drops below 20 or if it violates the law or indulges in politics.
In such cases, the organisation may be permitted to appoint a new board of directors for a term of up to one year. The organisation can lodge a complaint against a decision to dissolve it.
A charity can be established with a capital of a minimum of QR10m that should be owned by one or more of its founders. The Cabinet has the mandate to give exemptions to this rule in some cases. The founder should be a Qatari aged 18 years or more.
Charities are permitted to receive grants from the government and donations from the public. Their directors can be removed if they are found involved in activities that are against objectives of the organisation.
Individuals associated with charities can face up to three years in jail or a fine of QR100,000 or both if they submit forged documents knowingly, or if they start charitable activities without registration.
They will face the same punishment if they engage in banned activities or activities that contravene their goals and divert funds for other purposes. The violations include continuing operations after a decision of the regulatory body to dissolve the organisation.
If the violation is repeated within five years, the punishment will be doubled, whether it was suspended or implemented in the first instance.
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