The Charity Commission has appointed an interim manager to oversee the governance of Barnabas Aid, while an independent review into safeguarding concerns raised by whistleblowers has also been commissioned.
The two separate developments were announced by the charity on Friday as part of their “ongoing commitment to openness and transparency”.
The charity is currently under investigation after the Commission launched a statutory inquiry following several allegations of donation misuse.
Founder Patrick Sookhdeo was suspended at the time, while police also investigated.
Sookhdeo died last month at the age of 79, having battled a terminal illness.
The charity’s international work is being overseen by Colin Bloom CBE, a former government advisor and director of the Conservative Christian Fellowship.
Now, the Charity Commission has confirmed to Premier Christian News that Edwina Turner and Catherine Gibbon of Anthony Collins LLP have been appointed as interim managers "to the exclusion of the charity’s trustees" to oversee the charity's UK body.
Among their responsibilities, they will take "full control of the charity’s administration, assets, records, banking and governance," investigate "historic decision-making and related-party arrangements" and "protect and recover charity assets where necessary".
The Commission's inquiry, which started in 2024, remains ongoing.
Responding to the appointment, a spokesperson for Barnabas Aid said the development was "an important milestone” in the long process of “restoring confidence, strengthening governance and ensuring that the charity is equipped for the future".
"Whilst we have been frustrated by the length of time required for this process, we welcome the Charity Commission's decision and are grateful for their intervention,” the spokesperson continued.
Barnabas Aid has also announced that Christian Safeguarding Services (CSS) has been commissioned to carry out an independent review into safeguarding concerns raised by whistleblowers in 2024.
The review will examine allegations raised across the wider Barnabas Family of ministries and involve current and former staff, trustees, volunteers and others.
In 2015, Sookhdeo was found guilty of sexual assault and intimidating witnesses.
A spokesperson said CSS had been given "complete freedom" to review evidence, identify witnesses and pursue lines of inquiry.
"The independence of this review is of paramount importance," the spokesperson said.
"We have deliberately adopted a 'go anywhere, ask anyone, ask anything' approach because we believe that genuine accountability requires complete transparency."
Barnabas Aid says the findings will be published and shared with the Charity Commission and other relevant authorities once the review has been completed.