KUWAIT CITY, Sept 18: The Charity Societies Department at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor intends to shut down 20 charity organizations found to have violated the regulations for the collection of donations, reports Al-Qabas daily quoting sources.

This came while the ministry is preparing for the arrival of two international delegations — one from the US Treasury Department and the other from the International Committee for Combating Money Laundering and Terrorism.

Sources confirmed the ministry had earlier advised the charity organizations to strictly comply with the donation collection regulations but some organizations are said to have disregarded this directive.
Sources said these organizations have also ignored the recommendations approved earlier on regulating charity activities in the country. Sources disclosed the organizations have not provided the ministry with a detailed report on the donations collected during Ramadan in an alleged attempt to avoid responding to queries on their expenditures.

Clarifying the ministry has yet to accuse any society of wrongdoing, sources said the regulations on the collection of donations have been specified to ensure transparency in the distribution, especially in the external offices of the organizations all over the world. Sources confirmed the ministry is keen on identifying the actual amount of donations in the external offices to prevent any attempt to hand over donations to certain parties, which might defame the image of Kuwait internationally, especially since a delegation from the International Committee for Combating Money Laundering and Terrorism is expected to arrive in the country in October.

Sources added a delegation from the ministry paid surprise visits to the external offices and they noticed some non-Kuwaitis employed in these offices; thereby, raising fears of the possibility of handing over donations to unscrupulous individuals or groups.