UNITED KINGDOM
Civil Society
Emily Corfe
The Charity Commission has defended its inquiry into the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain, following the Jehovah’s Witness charity’s fourth appeal against what it describes as an “unlawful investigation”.
The charity became subject to a Charity Commission statutory inquiry after revelations emerged that a man accused of child abuse was allowed to question his accusers as part of a “disfellowship” process to decide whether he should remain a member of the congregation.
The statutory inquiry into the charity’s safeguarding procedures has been the subject of a long-running legal case, with the Charity Commission attempting to access Watch Tower’s records since 2014 and the charity in turn accusing the regulator of conducting an unlawful investigation.
Watch Tower has launched a total of four appeals since 2014, against decisions by the High Court and Charity Tribunal which ruled in favour of the Charity Commission. The charity is seeking permission to challenge the statutory inquiry, but following yesterday’s hearing at the Court of Appeal, no decision was reached.
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