Scandals Embarrass Spanish Charities

An investigation into the mismanagement of $60-million and the arrest of a prominent charity official for embezzlement have provoked distress among Spanish charities, reports The Financial Times.

The Barcelona attorney general’s office has accused Fundacion Intervida, an organization that delivers meals and textbooks to schools in poor countries, of illegally channeling $60-million into subsidiaries without approval of the group’s board. The attorney general also will investigate whether Intervida directors siphoned some of that money for themselves.

Intervida has denied the charges, saying that establishing subsidiaries is common practice and that its ledgers are in order.

The charges come shortly after the arrest of Jose Luis Gamarra of Anesvad, a Spanish group dedicated to eradicating leprosy in Asia, for embezzling the charity’s funds. According the article, Anesvad is cooperating with authorities on the matter.