Charity probed after cash seized at Dover
- Published
Cash in sterling, dollars and euros was seized
A British charity is being investigated after more than £40,000 was seized by Kent Police from a group of men leaving the country for the Middle East.
The men were believed to be travelling on behalf of Aid Convoy, which provides humanitarian and medical aid to people in the Lebanon/Syria border area.
The Charity Commission said it was assessing Aid Convoy as "part of an ongoing operation".
Aid Convoy has not replied to a request for a comment.
Kent Police is investigating whether the money was being taken out of the country for illegal purposes, a spokeswoman said.
She confirmed officers seized three sums of cash - £36,066, $10,600 dollars (£7,000), and 1,400 euros (£1,200) - from a group of men at Dover who were on their way to the Middle East.
She said: "This is part of an ongoing investigation."
A spokeswoman for the Charity Commission said: "We expect to clarify whether the organisation is charitable in law and ought therefore to be registered. In the meantime, we can't speculate as to its legal status or comment further on our work on this case."
The Aid Convoy website lists appeals to buy ambulances, in Lebanon and Syria, and to buy good and medical supplies and assist refugees in the area.