A man and a woman are under police investigation for suspected fraud, alongside the regulatory investigation into Barnabas Aid (formerly Barnabas Fund) and four linked charities.
Wiltshire Police has confirmed that it arrested two people on 7 November 2024 ‘in connection with an ongoing fraud investigation’.
A police statement to en said: ‘A man in his 70s and a woman in her 60s were arrested on suspicion of fraud by false representation and money laundering. They have been released on bail pending further enquiries.
‘This is part of an active investigation into allegations of fraud linked to a Wiltshire-based charity. Our enquiries are ongoing and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.’
The Charity Commission announced its statutory inquiry into Barnabas Aid last Autumn after it identified significant compliance issues. Its focus has widened with statutory inquiries launched in January into the Oxford Centre for Religion in Public Life (OCRPL), Reconciliation Trust (whose bank accounts have been frozen, TBF Trust and Servants Fellowship International (SFI).
All four charities are part of the Barnabas network of charities. Nobody from Barnabas was available to comment in response to the police involvement.
