AHAR Update

[Leo Walker]

http://www.rte.ie/news/investigations-unit/

 

[meleeka]

Shocking yet again.

 

[Dobiegirl]

I think everyone who donated needs to contact the police etc, this is obtaining money under false pretences and is very serious indeed.

 

[stormox]

I think everyone who donated needs to contact the police etc, this is obtaining money under false pretences and is very serious indeed.[/QUOTE

I would guess most of the money has gone now, as they seem to be permanently owing money to vets and feed suppliers. A lot of people who donated posted on the FB page, but although its a deliberate fraud, to fleece the unsuspecting readers, I dont think theres any chance they will be re-imbursed. Lets hope it went to help some unfortunate creatures and not to John Player and Jack Daniels!!!! I think the main point to take from this is, if anyone wants to donate to AHAR, donate directly to the vets and the feed merchants, NOT to the charity.
Is this part of another RTE progamme? When will it be aired?

 

[Regandal]

Surely you can be charged for that? Obtaining money by deception?

 

[Tiddlypom]

Can you summarise the video for those of us with limited bandwidth?

 

[Regandal]

It shows a reporter talking to a man and a woman, not sure if they were employees or volunteers. They are saying that the 'code reds' were staged, the animals were bought and on ahar premises before the posts went on fb. The woman alleges that she has screen shots showing the animals in ahar, before the appeal was launched. The amounts raised are huge.

 

[limestonelil]

Can you summarise the video for those of us with limited bandwidth?

In short, two people who previously worked at AHAR have given interviews of how corrupt it is and how she used those code red appeals to raise the money to save equines which were already purchased and on AHAR premises. Getting money off kind horse lovers under false pretences.

 

[limestonelil]

It shows a reporter talking to a man and a woman, not sure if they were employees or volunteers. They are saying that the 'code reds' were staged, the animals were bought and on ahar premises before the posts went on fb. The woman alleges that she has screen shots showing the animals in ahar, before the appeal was launched. The amounts raised are huge.

Must have been watching link then putting up answer whilst you'd already replied!

 

[Leo Walker]

In short, two people who previously worked at AHAR have given interviews of how corrupt it is and how she used those code red appeals to raise the money to save equines which were already purchased and on AHAR premises. Getting money off kind horse lovers under false pretences.

This basically. Requests were given to Declan who worked there, ie find me a foal, a poor condition horse and 14 others. They would be bought, paid for and installed at AHAR. Then the code red would go out. They were buying to order and manipulating people to donate.

This has been going on for a long time and people have been undercover to make sure this all came out. There are paper trails to back it up. Everything that was said is 100% provable and robust enough to stand up in court should it come to that.

Hopefully this is enough to make sure its shut down.

 

[meleeka]

The lady interviewed was the former head of fundraising for the UK .She commented that rules of charities are different in England than Ireland.

 

[WeeLassie]

The lady interviewed was the former head of fundraising for the UK .She commented that rules of charities are different in England than Ireland.

I thought she just stated what the rules were in England, I didnt think she said they were different in Ireland. But if its money raised in UK for a charity in Ireland, who's rules would that come under? I am sure both countries require transparancy, and neither would tolerate blatant lies and deception to bring in donations.

 

[paddi22]

yeah i'd say poor chocolate moonbeam must realise she's facing an uphill battle with all these new revelations coming out. I wonder will he/she/they/it ever come back again?

 

[Dave's Mam]

I'd like to see the Choccy Moony one return to answer the questions.

 

[meleeka]

I'd like to see the Choccy Moony one return to answer the questions.

She last viewed yesterday, so may well be back again.

 

[Dave's Mam]

She last viewed yesterday, so may well be back again.

Interesting.

 

[Leo Walker]

She last viewed yesterday, so may well be back again.

Shes too busy rowing with my friend on FB at the minute so maybe not!

 

[stormox]

Another scenario I thought looked like a scam- a baby foal, filmed by AHAR wandering around at a fair, looking lost. Posted on FB. AHAR pull out all the stops trying to find the mother, all posted on FB and donations coming in with every new update. Finally the mother is located, having been bought by a dealer,sold on, bought again, and finally bought by AHAR. A happy 'reunion video' is filmed. All posted on FB in 'real time' and money coming in with each update.
This happened more than once with mares/foals and once with a lurcher whose puppies of about 5 weeks were found one at a time scattered around some 'waste ground'.
It all seemed a bit unreal to me. Maybe someone can enlighten me, were these 'rescues and reunitings' real? Or did AHAR script and act out a 'money making success story'?

 

[meleeka]

Shes too busy rowing with my friend on FB at the minute so maybe not!

Does she actually work for AHAR? If so she really ought to be sacked as I didn't have an opinion either way until I read it on here! She's made them look more dodgy than they did before.

 

[ElectricChampagne]

The lady interviewed was the former head of fundraising for the UK .She commented that rules of charities are different in England than Ireland.

Very different here and not a strict nor would it be investigated often. There are huge scandals over charities in Ireland on a regular basis.

All they do have to do is give a list of activities and list income and expenditure in an annual report, and a profit and loss account. Some charities with below 10k of income do not need to submit a profit and loss account.

What financial information do I need to provide?

The number and type of documents required in order to complete your annual report will depend on the size of your organisation, in terms of gross annual income.

All charities are required to fill out the financial section of the online annual reporting template, specifying gross annual income and gross annual expenditure.

Additionally –

- A charity with a gross annual income of more than €100,001 is required to provide a full set of audited accounts, including directors and auditors reports for the reporting period.

- A charity with a gross annual income of €10,001 - €100,000 is required to provide a profit and loss account (or income and expenditure account and statement of assets and liabilities) for the reporting period.

- A charity with a gross annual income of less than €10,000 may choose to submit a profit and loss account (or income and expenditure account and statement of assets and liabilities) for the reporting period.

Note: Education Bodies, companies listed with the CRO and charities with a gross income of less than €10,000 are not required to provide annual accounts to the Charities Regulator, unless requested to do so.

http://www.charitiesregulatoryauthority.ie/en/cra/pages/faqs

But sure this could amount to anything.

On top of that enforcement of the rules is very very lax at the best of times.

 

[stormox]

Very different here and not a strict nor would it be investigated often. There are huge scandals over charities in Ireland on a regular basis.

All they do have to do is give a list of activities and list income and expenditure in an annual report, and a profit and loss account. Some charities with below 10k of income do not need to submit a profit and loss account.



http://www.charitiesregulatoryauthority.ie/en/cra/pages/faqs

But sure this could amount to anything.

On top of that enforcement of the rules is very very lax at the best of times.

But surely as AHAR do so much fundraising in the UK, as well as having a special UK fundraising co-ordinator, and they send hundreds of dogs a year to Allsorts Dog Rescue in Sussex, UK authorities should be involved as well?

 

[paddi22]

when is the deadline for them showing their accounts?

 

[Dobiegirl]

Yes the mare and foal reunions were all faked." At one of these reunions...Bungee she called the foal, I forget what she called the mother, this mare turned out to be an Ahar horse she had originally given to a certain dealer and she paid €300 for her only to realize when her chips was scanned, it was one of her own horses. She had a face like a bag of hammers that day. Of course I was never told that "

From one of the former AHAR supporters

 

[Dobiegirl]

when is the deadline for them showing their accounts?[/QUOTE

Was 40 days and CRA won't comment now as they say it would interfere with due process.

 

[MyOldPony]

Yes the mare and foal reunions were all faked." At one of these reunions...Bungee she called the foal, I forget what she called the mother, this mare turned out to be an Ahar horse she had originally given to a certain dealer and she paid €300 for her only to realize when her chips was scanned, it was one of her own horses. She had a face like a bag of hammers that day. Of course I was never told that "

From one of the former AHAR supporters

No shame there then. People must be made of money to keep funding a fake set up . I'm baffled.

 

[stormox]

Yes the mare and foal reunions were all faked." At one of these reunions...Bungee she called the foal, I forget what she called the mother, this mare turned out to be an Ahar horse she had originally given to a certain dealer and she paid €300 for her only to realize when her chips was scanned, it was one of her own horses. She had a face like a bag of hammers that day. Of course I was never told that "

From one of the former AHAR supporters

Not surprised to hear that, in one of them the mare didnt seem to recognise the foal at all, it would be very unusual for a mare not to even nicker when her baby came near!!

And baby was a totally different type to mum - I think they got the wrong mare!! so what,it brings in the money......

 

[southerncomfort]

I'm baffled as to why, despite all the evidence of the dodgy goings-on at AHAR, the donations (and plaudits!) are still rolling in. A thread of their's keeps popping up in my FB newsfeed because friends of mine are liking it!!

Is it not common knowledge now that they are scammers?

 

[WeeLassie]

A lot of supporters arent in Ireland, or not on line forums, so wouldnt have seen the documentary on RTE or the Irish Mail expose unless they were following the exposed page, and if they were supporters I dont suppose theyd look at that. Also, there are some genuine rescue cases, (and apparantly a lot of faked ones!) with happy endings, that AHAR put on their own page for supporters to see. Some benefactors are in the USA, Germany etc - they wouldnt see the side that AHAR dont want shown.
I cannot understand, though, why some supporters such as Allsorts, and a few volunteers, who the manager is ranting about in those recordings, dont wash their hands of the place.

 

[Dobiegirl]

I'm baffled as to why, despite all the evidence of the dodgy goings-on at AHAR, the donations (and plaudits!) are still rolling in. A thread of their's keeps popping up in my FB newsfeed because friends of mine are liking it!!

Is it not common knowledge now that they are scammers?

We need people to keep sharing so more people are educated to the true nature of AHAR. If you look on the Ahar page its all sweetness and light, the page is heavily monitored and any questions or anything negative is deleted immediately so the supporters are deluded into thinking its a perfect rescue.

 

[ElectricChampagne]

They also are very quick to delete, ban and shut down their 'haters' from their facebook page very quickly, so the foreign donators see nothing untoward