Galloway faces suspension over charity payments

Published on Monday 16 July 2007 01:19

GEORGE Galloway, the independent MP and anti-war campaigner, could be suspended from the Commons this week, it was reported yesterday.

A Sunday newspaper said that the Committee on Standards and Privileges is set to suspend Mr Galloway, a former Labour MP who now sits for the Respect Party, over a charity he is associated with.

Mr Galloway was last month rebuked by a charity watchdog for failing properly to vet donations made to the charity.

The Charity Commission found donations to the Respect MP's Mariam appeal, totalling tens of thousands of pounds, were funded with money linked to the United Nations oil-for-food scandal.

But Mr Galloway and the appeal's other trustees failed in their duty of care to adequately scrutinise the "improper" payments.

It also warned Mr Galloway and the other trustees could be "made to recover funds improperly given" - although the commission itself is not taking any further action.

The commission concluded that the money was used for humanitarian causes. Nonetheless, its findings were embarrassing for the MP, who has successfully defended himself against accusations he might have profited personally from the oil-for-food programme.

He has denied wrongdoing throughout and his spokesman did not return calls yesterday.