Singaporean man barred from conducting fund raising for charitable purposes: MCCY, MSF
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
An archived version of Direct Hope's website from August 2024, which shows it marketing itself as a social youth enterprise.
PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM INTERNET ARCHIVE
SINGAPORE - A 26-year-old Singaporean man has been barred from carrying out fund-raising activities after he was found to have breached multiple regulations.
Starting from June 10, Mr Eugene Liow Chia Hau will no longer be able to raise funds for charitable, benevolent or philanthropic purposes, said the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) in a statement on the same day.
The prohibition order was published in the electronic gazette on June 9 and was issued by the Commissioner of Charities (COC). The Straits Times had approached MCCY for more information after the publication of the notice.
In their June 10 statement, the ministries said the COC had received feedback between July 2023 and January 2024 about fund-raising appeals carried out by Direct Hope, which was run by Mr Liow.
Direct Hope was engaged by the youth charity Bilby Community Development as a commercial fund-raiser between May 2023 and January 2024.
The feedback led to an investigation by MSF, which found Mr Liow to have breached multiple regulations under the Charities (Fund-raising Appeals for Local and Foreign Charitable Purposes) Regulations.
He did not implement “control measures and safeguards to ensure proper accountability” of the donations collected by Direct Hope nor ways to prevent donations from being lost or stolen.
Mr Liow also did not keep proper accounting records of the fund-raising appeals and did not have a list of the personal particulars of those who had helped Direct Hope solicit donations.
A sole proprietorship, Direct Hope was not a registered charity, with a search of its business records listing one of its two principal activities as “other social services without accommodation”.
Its other principal activity involved the sale of handicrafts, collectibles and gifts.
Incorporated in August 2021, its business licence expired in August 2024 and was not renewed, with a search on its website showing that it is no longer active.
An archived version dated August 2024 showed that it marketed itself as a “community-driven social youth enterprise” that aimed to help marginalised youth.
This was done through “teaching them important life skills and values, giving them community support, and alleviating their financial burdens through job opportunities and entrepreneurial projects”.
A search online showed that complaints about Direct Hope going door to door soliciting donations have been circulating since at least 2022.
Advising the public to be discerning when approached by those soliciting donations, the ministries said although most fund-raising appeals are genuine, it is important to verify that the donations are going to legitimate causes.
Besides asking questions, the ministries said people can check the Charity Portal at www.charities.gov.sg
Otherwise, they can scan a QR code on the official letter provided by the charitable organisation, which will lead to more details on the Charity Portal.
They can also send an SMS to 79777, which should be formatted as FR, followed by a space and the organisation’s name, or call the Charities Unit on 6337-6597.
“Members of the public should not feel pressured to give if they have concerns or suspect that an appeal for donations is not legitimate,” the statement said.
If they find a fund-raising activity suspicious, they can make a report to the COC at mccy_charities@mccy.gov.sg
