FNC outlines jail time and tougher fines for illegal donations and fundraising

The law will help authorities regulate charitable activities and ensure money is not used to support terrorism

FNC member Dherar Al Falasi at the council’s session on Tuesday. He says the new law will ensure donations reach those who need them. FNC

The Federal National Council passed a new draft law on illegal donations on Tuesday.

Once the law is approved, those who flout it could face jail for up to three years and have to pay fines of between Dh100,000 and Dh500,000.

The law will help authorities regulate donation activities and ensure money is not used to fund terrorist groups.

Once it is enforced, all charity organisations will be digitally linked to a government database holding detailed information on their operations, activities and transactions.

The penalties must be strict and deterring, because we don't want to leave room for manipulation

“The new e-system will protect the donors’ money and ensure it goes to its deserved parties,” said FNC member Dherar Al Falasi.

He said monitoring donations is important to avoid money being diverted to the wrong people and groups.

A similar system was launched in 2015 by Dubai’s Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department.

“A lot can be learned from the system in Dubai. They have been doing it for five years and managed to fill all the gaps,” Mr Al Falasi said.

“Some emirates have already developed similar systems internally, but our goal is that this is applied across all the country.”

Only licensed organisations or those with a permit can collect donations.

If an unauthorised company or group wishes to run a fundraising campaign, it can work with a licensed organisation, Mr Al Falasi said.

Under the new law, residents who flout the rules can be deported.

People who are associated with a donation drive that breaches public security, incites racism or abets religious or ethnic discrimination will be punished.

“The penalties must be strict and deterring, because we don’t want to leave room for manipulation,” Mr Al Falasi said.

“Some organisations could have good intentions, but then they transfer donations to suspicious parties, so the law must be strict.”

Licensed organisations can collect donations up to four times a year.

“Charity organisations have other responsibilities too, but some of them ignore their other duties and only focus on donation collection,” he said.

“They need around three months to run a campaign and close the accounts and disclose their transactions to the authorities.”

He said the process could barely be done four times a year.

“The goal is for them to focus on their other duties as well.”

If an organisation is capable of running a fifth campaign, they could seek approval “and could be granted an extra instance if they have a good record,” Mr Al Falasi said.

An increase in donation drives during the pandemic and the risk of money being used for illegal activities prompted authorities to pass the new draft law.

“In Dubai, the government itself was running a campaign for food, so there was no need for people to collect money individually,” Mr Al Falasi said.

He is also the executive director of Watani Al Emarat Foundation, which ran the 10 Million Meals campaign during Ramadan last year.

The 10 million meals campaign in the UAE - in pictures

A worker holds a food pack from Dubai's Beit Al Khair Society, as part of the Ruler of Dubai's 2020 campaign to deliver 10 million meals to low income residents. This year, the campaign will expand to 100 million meals in 20 countries in the region. All photos by Pawan Singh / The National

Volunteers distribute food packages in Dubai in May 2020, as the social and economic impact of the pandemic is felt

Restaurants across the city joined the campaign to feed workers in the absence of daily Ramadan iftars at mosques and in light of job losses and salary reductions

Staff at Al Nadeg restaurant in Deira, Dubai box up fresh and dried food

This box contains biryani, laban, fruit, dates and water

Staff and workers practise social distancing

Staff at Al Nadeg in Deira prepare fresh produce for the campaign

Fresh roasted chicken is prepared for the next batch of boxes

The 10 million meals project was brought in to replace the free iftars run by mosques across the country, which were halted due to the coronavirus

Staff of Al Nadeg restaurant in Deira prepare the food to be delivered

1,000 boxes were readied for this particular camp

Roast chicken is prepared for delivery

Restaurants across the city are volunteering their kitchens and staff as part of the campaign