Charity sector 'wide open to abuses'

THE lack of regulation of charities could cause the State to be regarded as a safe haven for bogus fundraisers including terrorist groups, a government minister has warned.

Junior Community Affairs Minister Noel Ahern said scams involving international money laundering could be happening "under our noses" due to the absence of legislation governing the charity sector.

In the same way that the Cayman Islands were associated with a lack of transparency in the regulation of their financial services industry, there was a danger that Ireland could be perceived as being open to widespread abuse in how it policed charities, he said.