OFSI Publishes Disclosure on Charities’ Failure to Respond to Financial Sanctions Compliance Requests

On 14 March 2025, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), part of HM Treasury, issued a report concerning a breach of financial sanctions regulations by three UK-registered charities. The charities—Sahara Hands, Peculiar Peoples’ Palace Ministries, and Impact Planet—failed to respond to Requests for Information (RFIs) issued under the Counter Terrorism (International Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.

While OFSI did not impose monetary penalties, it categorised the breach as moderately severe, warranting public disclosure. The affected charities, all listed on the Charity Commission’s public register, failed to engage despite multiple contact attempts via email and post.

OFSI emphasised that charity trustees have a legal duty to comply with financial sanctions regulations, including responding to compliance-related RFIs. The failure of these charities to provide requested information hindered OFSI’s ability to monitor compliance effectively.

The disclosure serves as a reminder for all charities to ensure their contact details are updated and incoming correspondence is actively monitored. OFSI encourages charities to engage proactively on sanctions-related matters and has reiterated the importance of voluntary disclosure where potential breaches occur.

For further information on financial sanctions compliance, charities can refer to OFSI’s guidance on the UK Government website.

Read the disclosure notice here.