Corruption Allegations and Trips to Sky City Casino in Government Probe into Canterbury Resilience Foundation

30.5.2025. The NZ Reporter. This article: The DIA discloses allegations of financial misconduct by The Canterbury Resilience Foundation, formed after the 15 March mosque attacks.

Allegations of corrupt use of thousands of dollars and gross management have surfaced in relation to the Canterbury Resilience Foundation, set up in the wake of the 15 March mosque massacres with a focus on assisting Muslim youth, according to official information provided by the Department of Internal Affairs. An investigation also found more than $1,000 in cash had been withdrawn from Auckland’s Sky City Casino.

Abdigani Mohamed Ali talking to Sky News Australia in July 2019, shortly after the launch of the Canterbury Resilience Foundation.

Charities Services alleges nearly $47,000 has been misused by a Canterbury Resilience Foundation trustee between 2019 and 2020. The alleged to be in control of the trust’s financial affairs is Abdigani Mohamed Ali.

The Canterbury Resilience Foundation was de-registered in 2021, but it still has a give-a-little page.

According to the investigation report, money was spent on Tinder, restaurants, cafes, and taxi fares, withdrawals were made from Auckland Sky City Casino and in Dubai, and roughly half this amount was transferred to the trustee’s own bank account. This included $3,500 for project management fees.

A Canterbury Resilience Foundation futsal game.

In a December 2020 interview, Ali told senior investigator John Maxwell and 2 other officials the trust-

“Both up and down so we don’t just keep money for the sake of keeping money so if money comes in we use it for a charitable purpose,” he said.

He told them the trust had incurred catering and contractor expenses for volunteers who took part in trust events and he had been reimbursed for “Project management services”. He also said that a trip overseas had been funded by a local organisation and the money paid through the trust’s account.

“If you have a, a question about a specific transaction then we’d be more than happy to send you that transaction we can ah let you know,” he told Maxwell.

But Charities Services wrote that “[he] and the Trust have failed to: ...produce evidence that negates transactions that prove [he] has personally benefitted from the Trust monies by either directly transferring it to his personal account or by making purchases and using the eftpos card to withdraw cash”.

Despite repeated requests from Charities Services, which included 4 statutory notices, and promises made by the trustee in a December 2020 interview, no evidence or documentation had been provided to back up claims made by Ali as to what the money was used for.

“[He] has demonstrated that [he] was unable, and/or reluctant, to supply any receipts for transactions for the Trust’s accounts.”

By 2023, Charities Services had concluded “serious wrongdoing” had occurred in relation to close to $47,000 of money that had been shifted out of the trust’s account.

However earlier in March 2021, the Department of Internal Affairs had concluded that a 2019 payment of $8,000 had been legitimately spent.

It “deemed [it] reasonable to conclude that the grant had been spent on the approved purpose and within the required timeframe.”

“However, the nature of the concerns brought to the attention of DIA did highlight a potential risk to any grant funding received by the entity."

“A flag was added to the Foundation to ensure no further funding was approved.”

Backstory

On 30 April 2019, Abdigani Mohamed Ali and Mohamed Aden Ibrahim signed a trust deed at Parry Field lawyers in the presence of charities lawyer Steven Moe. A third party, Ali’s brother, Abdirasaq Mohamed Ali, signed the deed in Australia. The trust was registered on 1 May.

Ibrahim resigned in December 2019 and denies any involvement in the financial transactions that are in question. It is understood that Abdirasaq Mohamed Ali has never been present in New Zealand.

A Tip Off

After receiving a tip off, in April 2020 a senior intelligence analyst concluded-

"Many of the transactions identified in...are highly likely to be of personal benefit to the officer/s of the trust. The transfer of funds by X from the trust account to [his] personal accounts and the use of funds for personal spending, and possible gambling highlights the lack of separation of charity/Trust expenses from personal expenses.”

There is likely to be public trust and confidence damage, particularly as the Trust has received government grants; and... indicated potential serious wrongdoing because of the use of charitable funds for private benefit.”

Anonymous source referred to in the Charities Services investigation report.

Money in and Money Out - June 2019 to August 2020

According to the Charities Services investigation report, the trust received $141,529.54 between 14 June 2019 to 24 August 2020. That comprised of income $119,295.04, Department of Internal Affairs/Crown donations of $21,240, and $994.54, which likely came from Abdigani Mohamed Ali.

In the December 2020 interview, Ali explained the trust had catering and contractor expenses for volunteers who took part in trust events and that money had been used for legitimate, trust-related activities. He also maintained that a local organisation had paid for flights and accommodation for an overseas trip.

The Charities Services investigation report painted a vastly different picture.

It believed $19,808.59 was used for personal expenses.

“Between 14 June 2019 and 24 August 2020, there are numerous purchases...which we, in the absence of any explanation, consider to likely be for [his] personal benefit…” said the report’s authors.

“On 21 November 2019, $650 was paid to Jetstar Airways with the reference "SYC Trip”.

“On 22 November 2019, a payment was made to Apex Car rentals for $280.05.”

“There are numerous Ola cab fees, numerous visits to cafes’, restaurants, supermarkets, other food outlets and service stations.”

In the December 2020, explained that practice had changed-

“Um we’re more relying on people using their own vehicles and paying um you know petrol vouchers or petrol expenses because that’s more the economical way we’ve found. Um, so not too much no. Not as much as we did last year.”

He explained that the Tinder purchase had been a mistake, and that the money refunded.

CS also found that cash withdrawals were made of $7183.58 in New Zealand and in Dubai. That figure includes transaction fees.