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Report: France probes 17 charities over fraud allegations
Oct 14, 2009, 8:28 GMT
Paris - The Paris public prosecutor's office has opened a judicial inquiry into 17 charities, including several organizations raising funds to fight cancer, on suspicion of fraud and breach of trust, the daily Le Parisien reported Wednesday.
The charities, most of whom work out of the United States, are suspected of misusing millions of euros donated to their respective causes. Investigators and judges are targeting the founders and directors of the charities.
According to the report, the charities allegedly use names that resemble those of well-known organizations. One example is the MAM (Mission d'Aide Mondial), whose acronym is close to the highly respected MDM (Medecins du Monde).
Reportedly, only a small part of the funds collected - from 1 to 20 per cent - is used for the advertised cause. Investigators were trying to determine what happens to the rest of the money.
A source close to the investigation told Le Parisien that direct-marketing firms charged with writing and sending the letters asking for donations are suspected of keeping as much as 90 per cent of the money collected.
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