The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance has discovered that some charities affiliated to it are paying illegal commissions of between 5 and 10 percent to those individuals and institutions who bring in donors.

These irregularities were uncovered at several licensed Qur’an memorization charities, and those organizations tasked with spreading the message of Islam among expatriate communities in the Kingdom, an official said recently.

The official, who preferred anonymity, said some charities have also started building residential units and other buildings for the community, without having the money to complete the projects.

He said the ministry’s regulations specify penalties for this behavior. These societies are involved in activities that are not governed by any “formal benchmarks.”

He said the organizations have sent letters to certain lobbyists and well-known people asking them to raise funds from businesspeople and philanthropists. Once the donations are registered in their bank accounts, the charities then pay the commissions. He said this behavior is harming the reputation of all charities affiliated with the ministry. “Those working for Qur’an memorization and awareness organizations receive monthly salaries for the jobs entrusted to them, in addition to other benefits. There are annual budgets allocated for these societies and some of them benefit significantly from the ministry’s endowment allocations,” said the official.

He said the ministry is aware of the financial shortfalls at some of these charities that have delayed their work, but this is the result of bureaucracy at some government agencies. There are 987 societies and institutions of all categories in Saudi Arabia affiliated with government bodies including the Islamic affairs and social affairs ministries, according to the International Center for Research and Studies.

In a recent report released by the ministry of social affairs, it confirmed that 748 charities are affiliated to it, of which there are 83 women societies. It dispensed SR753 million last year, of which SR625 million were for those with various specialties, and SR128 million for women’s organizations.

These organizations assist over 153,000 people, and employ about 16,000. There are over 5,000 board members serving these bodies across the country.

There are 38 societies for women under the supervision of the social affairs ministry, representing 5 percent of the country’s total. Others include 460 Al-Bir Association societies, 42 health societies, 22 special needs societies, and about 20 societies for mass wedding ceremonies.

According to reports, there are more than 160 charities and societies in Riyadh, 140 in Makkah, 47 in Madinah, and 60 in Qasim. The general administration for charities at the ministry supervises the functions of these organizations.