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Bothar Charity under investigation

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  • 10-10-2020 9:11am
    #1
    Limerick Native
    Registered Users Posts: 20 ✭


    Head office is based in Limerick, it will be interesting to see the outcome of this investigation.


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    #2
    um7y1h83ge06nx
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,029 ✭✭✭um7y1h83ge06nx


    Checked and it's true, link here, not sure how well it embeds via the touch site.

    https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/regulator-appoints-inspectors-to-investigate-charity-b%C3%B3thar-1.4376621


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    #3
    Limerick Native
    Registered Users Posts: 20 ✭Limerick Native


    Strange no local news outlet picked up on this.


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    #4
    whisky_galore
    Registered Users Posts: 15,808 ✭✭✭✭whisky_galore


    Is the investigation finished yet, Camel?


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    #5
    stuckintipp
    Registered Users Posts: 89 ✭✭stuckintipp


    Mohammad Damp Ramp wrote: »
    Checked and it's true, link here, not sure how well it embeds via the touch site.

    https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/regulator-appoints-inspectors-to-investigate-charity-b%C3%B3thar-1.4376621

    It gives me no pleasure in saying this but the 'charity' sector in Ireland must be one of the most corrupt around, it's a shame as tens of thousands of normal people volunteer their time and effort only to be taken for a fool by people at the top living it up, claiming big expenses and using the lifestyle and media focus for selfish means.

    I was reading about a charity, headed by a former irish celebrity, a well know know man, in their last accounts their income was €7 million, they spent €6.5 on salary's, PR, advertising, office costs etc All the while he gets media coverage, book publicity making him out to be a saint


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    #6
    Masala
    Registered Users Posts: 3,462 ✭✭✭Masala


    Jeez... and we (our school) paid for a cow to go to Africa with them!!!

    Don’t tell me they still have our cow


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    #7
    orm0nd
    Registered Users Posts: 4,178 ✭✭✭orm0nd


    Masala wrote: »
    Jeez... and we (our school) paid for a cow to go to Africa with them!!!

    Don’t tell me they still have our cow

    no they don't have the cow, Jim Gavin the former Dublin football manager is a commercial pilot and he usually piloted the planes taking the animals abroad.

    I don't know what the investigation is about.


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    #8
    mgbgt1978
    Registered Users Posts: 4,230 ✭✭✭mgbgt1978


    You don't know what the investigation is about...fair enough.

    ....but you are pretty sure that this Jim Gavin (obviously as a former County football manager he remembers every Animal he flew to Africa) definitely brought Masala's cow to Africa ?


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    #9
    Beechwoodspark
    Registered Users Posts: 15,320 ✭✭✭✭Beechwoodspark


    I have given this charity good support over the years so I would be devestated to find out if it is dodgy


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    #10
    orm0nd
    Registered Users Posts: 4,178 ✭✭✭orm0nd


    mgbgt1978 wrote: »
    You don't know what the investigation is about...fair enough.

    ....but you are pretty sure that this Jim Gavin (obviously as a former County football manager he remembers every Animal he flew to Africa) definitely brought Masala's cow to Africa ?

    Give me the tag number of the cow and I'll check it out for you.

    I have bought cows that the Dept of Agriculture didn't clear for export because they were a day or two out of test for export which is stricter requirements than home sale. These were sold at public auction and when announced usually commanded a price higher than market value. and the money goes to the charity.

    Each animal donated for Bothar is on the Dept record and they keep record not JG. He provides his services for free as do a lot of people including cost to themselves.

    This charity was done tremendous work for the families concerned and I as well as a lot of farmers from this area have donated.

    Hopefully the good work will continue and the investigation deals with its findings as it sees fit.


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    #11
    Lolle06
    Registered Users Posts: 235 ✭✭Lolle06


    orm0nd wrote: »
    Give me the tag number of the cow and I'll check it out for you.

    I have bought cows that the Dept of Agriculture didn't clear for export because they were a day or two out of test for export which is stricter requirements than home sale. These were sold at public auction and when announced usually commanded a price higher than market value. and the money goes to the charity.

    Each animal donated for Bothar is on the Dept record and they keep record not JG. He provides his services for free as do a lot of people including cost to themselves.

    This charity was done tremendous work for the families concerned and I as well as a lot of farmers from this area have donated.

    Hopefully the good work will continue and the investigation deals with its findings as it sees fit.

    Does every donor get a tag number as proof that the donation was spent on an animal?

    Obviously they don’t hire an „inspector“, if they don’t suspect a charity spending most of the donations in other ways.


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    #12
    Peregrinus
    Registered Users Posts: 26,108 ✭✭✭✭Peregrinus


    Lolle06 wrote: »
    Does every donor get a tag number as proof that the donation was spent on an animal?
    How would giving a tag number prove that the money was spent on animal? At best, it would just prove that some of the charity's money was spent on an animal, but how would it prove a link between a specific donation and a specific animal?
    Lolle06 wrote: »
    Obviously they don’t hire an „inspector“, if they don’t suspect a charity spending most of the donations in other ways.
    There's nothing remotely obvious about that. They could mount an inspection into any aspect of a charity's operation that was not in compliance with the legislation. If you think the only requirement imposed on charities by the legislation is "spend the money on what you send you'd spend it on" you obviously haven't looked at the legislation.

    Per the newspaper reports, in this case "t is believed that the investigation relates to governance issues at the charity". That could certainly be something other than financial impropriety.


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    #13
    Lolle06
    Registered Users Posts: 235 ✭✭Lolle06


    Peregrinus wrote: »
    How would giving a tag number prove that the money was spent on animal? At best, it would just prove that some of the charity's money was spent on an animal, but how would it prove a link between a specific donation and a specific animal?


    There's nothing remotely obvious about that. They could mount an inspection into any aspect of a charity's operation that was not in compliance with the legislation. If you think the only requirement imposed on charities by the legislation is "spend the money on what you send you'd spend it on" you obviously haven't looked at the legislation.

    Per the newspaper reports, in this case "t is believed that the investigation relates to governance issues at the charity". That could certainly be something other than financial impropriety.

    I was replying to Orm0nds post, who asked for the „tag number“ b/c Masala asked if the cow the school bought went to Africa.

    I know a few charities who are run well and don’t have inspection appointments going public.

    If there is money involved, it is always about the money imho.

    Let’s just wait for the outcome of this, will we?


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    #14
    Peregrinus
    Registered Users Posts: 26,108 ✭✭✭✭Peregrinus


    I'm very happy to wait for the outcome of it. Which is why I think it's premature to say that the appointment of an inspector suggests that the regulators "suspect a charity spending most of the donations in other ways". We'll know what the regulators' concern is when we see the report; not before.


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    #15
    Hibernicis
    Registered Users Posts: 1,440 ✭✭✭Hibernicis


    Brief statement on the Bothar website
    The Board and executive of Bóthar can confirm that it has been notified by the Charities Regulator of its decision to appoint inspectors to carry out a statutory investigation.

    The commencement of an investigation is not a finding of any wrong-doing. The organisation will fully cooperate with the Regulator and its inspectors on this matter and awaits the finalisation of the report and its findings at the earliest opportunity.

    The annual reports and financial statements are available from the Bothar website here. The most recent published account are for the year ended 30th June 2018. These were signed on 3rd July 2019 and were lodged in the Companies Office on 4th July 2019. The accounts for the year ended June 2019 are not on the website and are not listed on the CRO website.

    As a past donor I'd be disappointed if there are significant financial irregularities. However fairness to all concerned we should wait for the results of the statutory investigation before jumping to conclusions.


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    #16
    c montgomery
    Registered Users Posts: 2,122 ✭✭✭c montgomery


    Hibernicis wrote: »
    Brief statement on the Bothar website



    The annual reports and financial statements are available from the Bothar website here. The most recent published account are for the year ended 30th June 2018. These were signed on 3rd July 2019 and were lodged in the Companies Office on 4th July 2019. The accounts for the year ended June 2019 are not on the website and are not listed on the CRO website.

    As a past donor I'd be disappointed if there are significant financial irregularities. However fairness to all concerned we should wait for the results of the statutory investigation before jumping to conclusions.

    I heard they have been overpaying for animals for years, sometimes 500% of the actual value.
    Talks of kickbacks.
    All animals bought from same 2 dealers.


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    #17
    Treepole
    Registered Users Posts: 486 ✭✭Treepole


    It's all bull


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    #18
    saabsaab
    Registered Users Posts: 7,769 ✭✭✭saabsaab


    Treepole wrote: »
    It's all bull


    I know. It really gets your goat, doesn't it.


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    #19
    whisky_galore
    Registered Users Posts: 15,808 ✭✭✭✭whisky_galore


    saabsaab wrote: »
    I know. It really gets your goat, doesn't it.

    It would give anyone the hump.


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    #20
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 14,344 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    saabsaab wrote: »
    I know. It really gets your goat, doesn't it.


    It's all the people blindly giving them money that irks me.. load of sheep.


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    #21
    Comhrá
    Registered Users Posts: 4,765 ✭✭✭Comhrá


    Deleted User wrote: »
    It's all the people blindly giving them money that irks me.. load of sheep.

    Doesn't bear thinking about.


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    #22
    Mad_maxx
    Registered Users Posts: 13,505 ✭✭✭✭Mad_maxx


    know someone who sent an in calf holstien heifer ( worth circa 1500 euro ) to africa with Bothar around seven years ago , they cribbed about framing a photograph of him beside the cow before it was leaving the country

    told him they had no room within their budget for " framing "

    hes the kind of guy to kick up a fuss and was so astounded at the meanness of it , he promised to bring negative PR on them , probably cost them less than a tenner ?

    they gave in in the end and posted him out a framed pic


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    #23
    Treepole
    Registered Users Posts: 486 ✭✭Treepole


    Mad_maxx wrote: »
    know someone who sent an in calf holstien heifer ( worth circa 1500 euro ) to africa with Bothar around seven years ago , they cribbed about framing a photograph of him beside the cow before it was leaving the country

    told him they had no room within their budget for " framing "

    hes the kind of guy to kick up a fuss and was so astounded at the meanness of it , he promised to bring negative PR on them , probably cost them less than a tenner ?

    they gave in in the end and posted him out a framed pic

    To be fair would he not have framed itself? It seems a bit of an awkward request.


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    #24
    Mad_maxx
    Registered Users Posts: 13,505 ✭✭✭✭Mad_maxx


    Treepole wrote: »
    To be fair would he not have framed itself? It seems a bit of an awkward request.

    perhaps but thats what he told me

    his attitude seemed to be that he was providing them with a valuable animal for a good cause ?

    " bit of give and take "


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    #25
    Peregrinus
    Registered Users Posts: 26,108 ✭✭✭✭Peregrinus


    Mad_maxx wrote: »
    perhaps but thats what he told me

    his attitude seemed to be that he was providing them with a valuable animal for a good cause ?

    " bit of give and take "
    It's a charitable donation. There's not supposed to be any take; just give.

    If he wants his photograph framed, he can frame it. I'm not sure why he thinks a charity should frame it for him, esp when their charitable purpose is sending livestock to developing countries, not framing photographs for people.


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    #26
    Limerick Native
    Registered Users Posts: 20 ✭Limerick Native


    Limerick leader ran a small piece on it, I guess we will get the full story when the investigation is complete . Rumours are rife around the place.

    Let's hope they are not true.


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    #27
    Spring
    Registered Users Posts: 16 ✭Spring


    Is there any update or further news on the Bothar investigation? Amthinking of making a donation for christmas...


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    #28
    thebourke
    Registered Users Posts: 1,302 ✭✭✭thebourke


    https://www.rte.ie/news/courts/2021/0408/1208688-courts-bothar/


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    #29
    Limerick Native
    Registered Users Posts: 20 ✭Limerick Native


    This is substantial, very substantial, how can they come back from this, look at the people this guy was denying in order to line his own pockets.

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/high-court/charity-b%25C3%25B3thar-claims-ex-ceo-misappropriated-465-000-in-donations-1.4532356%3fmode=amp


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    #30
    jay0109
    Registered Users Posts: 2,670 ✭✭✭jay0109


    The Charity industry in this country is still the wild west of probity. There's no end to the scandals because there's no end to the number of charities here!


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    #31
    YoshiReturns
    Closed Accounts Posts: 68 ✭✭YoshiReturns


    I have given a lot of money to charities in the past. I feel like I'm being swindled sometimes... And then they keep sending you full colour brochures in the post etc to make you feel extra guilty about the ****ing **** state of the world. With you name and details printed on bank demands.

    One decent upside is that they can claim the income tax you paid on the amount.

    Just need to find a charity to trust.

    But this particular case seems to stink. It's like pissing in the wind giving money to Africa and then you've got the dodgy blokes and blokettes in Ireland creaming money off.


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