SISTAH SPACE boss Ngozi Fulani was cleared of wrongdoing by the Charity Commission, but some are questioning why the charities regulator launched an investigation in the first place.

The announcement of the investigation by government-appointed quango last month came after a torrent of race-hate on social media aimed at Fulani, and criticism of her in mainstream newspapers.

The barrage of hostility was sparked after Fulani exposed royal aide Lady Susan Hussey for repeatedly asking where she was from at a Buckingham Palace reception, and touching her hair.

As controversy over the encounter raged, the Charity Commission acted after an anonymous social media account made unsubstantiated allegations against Sistah Space.

News of the investigation fuelled the wave of hate against Fulani, with the false allegations widely shared on social media.

Weeks later, the Commission failed to find any wrongdoing by Fulani or Sistah Space. The findings were not widely covered by the media.

Fulani’s supporters claim her reputation – and that of her charity which supports black victims of domestic violence – has been unfairly damaged.

Writer Nels Abbey said that the investigation into Fulani was proof of an agenda to keep black-led charities in their place and threaten their charitable status if they criticise the establishment.

He told The Voice: “It’s good to see that the attempt to weaponise the Charity Commission against Sistah Space and Ngozi Fulani has not prevailed, and has actually cleared them of any wrongdoing, and restored their good name and standing in the community. 

“I do think it’s very alarming that the Charity Commission can be swung into action against a domestic violence shelter for black women off the back of a tweet thread by a rather unsavoury, anonymous character. 

“Charities that take a strong anti racist position can expect to find themselves on the receiving end of some regulatory action.

“I think the Charity Commission has to be careful to ensure that they’re not inadvertently leveraged into becoming political police.”

Critics say the Charity Commission has increasingly become politicised by the Conservative government.

But there was also concern over the way the Commission was used – in the period of the last Labour government – by former London Evening Standard journalist Andrew Gilligan to investigate black-led charities funded by ex-London mayor Ken Livingstone when Boris Johnson was campaigning to be mayor. Several subsequent investigations found no evidence of fraud, criminality or wrongdoing.

Commission chairs appointed by the Tories have used the position to warn charities against criticising the government.

In 2021, the Commission investigated, and subsequently cleared, the Runnymede Trust after a group of Tory MPs called the Common Sense Group, attacked the race equality think tank.

The MPs were incensed that the Trust had publicly criticised the government-appointed Sewell Report, which denied that Britain had a problem with institutional racism, and the MPs called for the Charity Commission to withdraw charitable status. The MPs were supported by the equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch.

In the latest print edition of The Voice, columnist Terence Channer slammed the Charity Commission for investigating Sistah Space, writing: “Ngozi was vilified and forced to close the charity temporarily due to safety concerns following online threats.

“Now the ignominy; Sistah Space will feel the full force of the regulatory, investigative and accountability powers of the Charity Commission.

“I’m convinced that there will be those at the Commission that will be rubbing their hands with glee.”

While the Commission cleared Sistah Space of any wrongdoing, the institution sought to cover themselves by giving ‘advice’ to the charity led by Fulani.

A statement from the Commission said: “We have carefully reviewed and assessed concerns raised about Sistah Space, and, as a result, have written to the trustees.

“This includes advice around how to prepare annual accounts, and the importance of filing these on time, as well as around managing any conflict of interest.”

The conclusion of the investigation means there is no truth to the allegations that were made against Fulani and her charity.

The last four chairs of the Commission, appointed by the Culture Secretary, have shared the government’s desire to stop charities speaking out on issues deemed ‘politically sensitive’, even if it relates to the topic the charities exist to campaign about.

One Commission chair, the Tory peer Baroness Stowell of Beeston, who was herself a government minister before being installed as head of the body regulating charities, used the position to consistently warn charities about not being ‘political’.

The current chair, barrister Orlando Fraser, is the son of former Tory MP Sir Hugh Fraser and is married to the great granddaughter of Winston Churchill at a wedding attended by the prime minister at the time, David Cameron.

Like the Tory-appointees before him, Fraser has warned charities “never to stray into party politics.” This is interpreted as a signal to charities to avoid criticising the government over policies that cause the social problems that those charities are concerned about.

In 2014, the government introduced the Lobbying Act which curtails spending by charities to publicise their causes during a general election campaign in case it influences voters.

One clause in the Act deters small and medium charities from joining campaign coalitions which involves major expenditure during an election, like billboards or adverts.

The clause has sparked fears after making each individual charity accountable for every penny spent by the coalition, and liable for any fines, even if they just lent their organisation’s name to a campaign run by a major charity.

Critics of the Act, which also hobbles trade unions during elections, say it fails to adequately tackle the real lobbying problem of private companies spending cash on lobbying firms to influence politicians to back certain policies behind the scenes.

The Charity Commission has been approached for comment.