IMDi concludes on Born Free: withholding payment – VG

– Comprehensive investigations of the foundation’s finances show clear and systematic violations of the preconditions for grants, IMDi director Libe Rieber-Mohn tells VG.

NRK covered the case first.

– I myself came to the conclusion and I am very surprised that once again it is you in the press who are calling me about IMDi’s decision, without my having time to meet it, says the leader of the foundation, comedian and public polemicist Shabana Rehman to VG.

“At all times, the case has been leaked to the press before we are notified, and it is very reprehensible in itself,” Rehman told VG.

VG Exclusive: Foundation formed by phone from Abid Raja

Furthermore, when the original interruption of the transfers to the foundation became known, it was VG who called and informed Rehman of the case. Then it was the government, not IMDi, who came out with the case.

IMDI Director Rieber-Mohn clarifies to VG that in this round Født Fri was notified of the decision before it was reported to the press, and that today’s conclusion is in line with the original decision that Født Fri was notified six weeks ago.

VG portrait with Shabana Rehman: – The worst thing that someone with a minority background can be accused of is abusing public funds

This writes IMDi

After a thorough review of the Født Fris accounting documentation, the management’s conclusion is that the foundation has been in financial mismanagement. IMDi’s decision means that the foundation will not receive the payment of NOK 3,000,000 in the second term.

The IMDi director calls it all a tedious affair, but emphasizes the importance of allocated funds being used correctly:

– There is a lot of competition for resources in the field of volunteering, so it is important that the organizations that receive support use the community funds according to the purpose and have good financial management. When an organization that has received $ 14 million from the state budget does not follow the guidelines, it must have consequences, says Rieber-Mohn.

Government decisions

On September 21, the government announced that it would cut support for “Born Free.” The foundation is said to have used portions of the state support they received for purposes other than those for which they received support, and lacks sound financial management, according to a report by Ernst and Young, according to a government press release.

Born Free ”was established in the fall of 2017 as a foundation with the aim of working against negative social control and equality across genders, religions and ethnicities.

Since 2017, the foundation has received just over NOK 15 million in grants from the state budget and through grant schemes managed by the Integration and Diversity Directorate (IMDi), including as a national resource environment.

Relationship: This is how the Rehman Foundation used the money

On October 6, the foundation sent a response to IMDi, and during a press conference, Rehman responded harshly to both the report and those who had tipped it off.

Describe the witch hunt

The same night the EY report was released, Rehman explained on VG that the allegations were not true. He explained that the report was based on whistleblowers who had previously worked at Born Free and ended up in conflict with Rehman.

Whistleblowers claimed in a VG case that they believed the money Born Free had received from the state budget was misused.

Rehman responded to VG in an extensive interview, where she described being exposed to a campaign and criticized the audit report for being full of errors. He also confirmed that he formed the foundation after being convened by liberal politician Abid Raja.

Read the exclusive interview: Shabana Rehman explains about meeting with Raja, trip to London with Zahid Ali and process towards Born Free

EY’s accusations

Investigations into the finances of Født Fris have been carried out by the audit firm Ernst & Young (EY) and, among other things, have revealed the following, writes IMDi in their summary:

• Mix between the finances of the foundation and the private company of the general manager
• Lack of management and control of acquisitions and purchases.
• Lack of distinction between labor and private expenses
• Violation of the Accounting Law and tax payment regulations
• Inappropriate use of project codes and cost specification in the accounts, making verifiability difficult