In January 2012 it was revealed how Awema –
the All Wales Ethnic Minority Association – was in turmoil, with
allegations of financial irregularities and bullying and harassment against its
chief executive Naz Malik. Mr Malik, who was subsequently sacked, admitted
paying off a personal credit card debt of more than £9,000 with Awema money,
but claimed it was an advance on his expenses.
Mr Malik was also found to have authorised significant pay rises to his daughter Tegwen, who was Awema’s operations director. Her salary rose from £20,469 to £50,052 between January 2008 and August 2011.
A report by the Wales Audit Office
revealed the charity received £7.1m from the Welsh Government between July 2000
and December 2011 to run schemes aimed at improving the employment chances of
people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
The Government is unlikely to
recover much of the £545, 966 debt it says it is owed by the charity, which is
now in liquidation.
A joint report by the Welsh
Government’s Internal Audit Services and the Big Lottery Fund concluded that
trustees of Awema, including Mr Malik, had shown “little regard to the
recognised standards in public life”.
South Wales Police has been
investigating complaints about Awema. A source close to the inquiry has told us
a meeting between detectives from the force and lawyers from the CPS will take
place on Friday.
A police spokesman would only
say: “This matter is still under investigation. As with any investigation South
Wales Police would meet with the CPS.”
The original
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