The Arthur Nibbs Foundation is not a registered charity

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The so-called Arthur Nibbs Foundation which collected over $100, 000 worth in building materials donated by the American University of Antigua (AUA) to the rebuilding of hurricane damaged Barbuda is not a registered charity.
This came to light when OBSERVER media made enquiries about the organisation after the minister responsible for Barbuda Affairs, Arthur Nibbs, appeared on state media on Monday night accepting the materials on behalf of the foundation which was named.
One of its directors Fitzgerald Lewis was also identified at the handing-over ceremony on state media. On Monday, the Vice President of Administration and Community Affairs of AUA, Vernon Solomon, handed over the donation. In handing over the items to Nibbs, Solomon said, “We’d like to present the construction materials to Minister Nibbs, parliamentary representative for Barbuda as well as to your foundation Sir.”
The minister then thanked AUA “on behalf of the people of Barbuda, on behalf of the Arthur Nibbs Foundation and certainly on my own behalf.” OBSERVER media checked with the intellectual property office, which is the body responsible for processing and approving the registration of charities, and was told “that foundation does not exist here in ourregistry.”
The intellectual property office also said that such organisations “need to be registered” in order to operate. When contacted, Minister Nibbs said that the foundation exists and it is managed by a board. In response to a request for details about its registration Nibbs said, “I’ll have to get back to you on that. You have the directors, they would be in a better position, I’m only the recipient of the benefit. I have a board, there is a board and they are the ones running that.”
(More in today’s Daily Observer)

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