The Fundraising Regulator and the Charity Commission are looking into concerns about an end-of-life and burial charity, following allegations that it fundraised for the Clapham chemical attacker’s burial under a false name.
The 13 Rivers Trust, which operates the Muslim Burial Fund, will be subject to enquiries after recent media reports sparked complaints to the regulators.
The charity is facing allegations that it used a false name to appeal for public donations to fund the burial of Abdul Ezedi, a 35-year-old man who threw corrosive alkali on his former girlfriend and her two children in Clapham, south London on 31 January.
Following a nationwide manhunt, Ezedi’s body was later found in the River Thames.
Over the weekend, The Times newspaper published allegations that the Muslim Burial Fund, a programme operated by the 13 Rivers Trust, launched a public appeal for donations to give Ezedi a burial at an Islamic ceremony in east London under a false name.
According to reports, the appeal was launched under the name of Abdul Wahed and read: “Please give our brother a dignified Islamic burial. He died tragically in suspicious circumstances with no one to claim his body”.
The fundraiser made £6,596 before the advert was removed, The Times said.
After these allegations, the Fundraising Regulator received complaints about the charity’s crowdfunder and is now set to make enquiries.
A spokesperson for the regulator said: “Since The Times’ article about the Muslim Burial Fund crowdfunder for Abdul Ezedi, under the name Abdul Wahed, the Fundraising Regulator has received complaints.
“As is normal process after a complaint has been made, we will make enquiries of the 13 Rivers charity.”
The Charity Commission said it was aware of the concerns relating to the charity’s fundraising activities and was assessing the information to determine whether it had a role to play.
The 13 Rivers Trust, which provides one-to-one support for people reaching end of life as well as advice and grants for burials, had a total income of £1.2m for the year to the end of March 2023, according to its latest accounts filed with the Charity Commission.
The charity has not responded to Third Sector’s requests for comment.