SOUTH INDIA: ERD files civil suit against former church leaders

October 23, 2009 [Episcopal Relief and Development] Episcopal Relief and Development, the international relief and development agency of the Episcopal Church, announced on Oct. 23 that it has filed a civil case against the Church of South India and its former leadership.

The text of the statement, which has also been posted on the Episcopal Relief and Development website, follows.

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Updated Statement on CSI
Episcopal Relief & Development
October 23, 2009

In our continuing efforts to ensure funds are properly used to benefit the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Episcopal Relief & Development filed a civil case against the Church of South India (CSI) and its former leadership on Friday, October 23rd in Chennai, India.

Two years ago, Episcopal Relief & Development approached the local Church authorities with concerns when CSI failed to complete the financial reporting and required audits outlined in our agreement for 2005 and 2006. As a result, we suspended work with CSI and implemented an in-depth effort to account for the missing funds. After a lengthy process, we deeply regret that we have been forced to take legal action.

While this situation is highly unusual, we strive to honor our commitment to the people we serve around the world and the generosity of our faithful donors. By and large, our global partners are extremely meticulous in providing required reports and conducting audits as required by the terms of our partnership agreements. Our partnership with CSI was only a portion of our tsunami response work. As per standard plans and procedures, clean audits were completed with our church partners in both North India and Sri Lanka.

The sole objective of our ongoing efforts to recover the tsunami relief funds is to fulfill our original intent to faithfully administer the funds that are received on behalf of vulnerable people.

As this is a legal matter, we cannot comment further about the current situation. We have faith in the Indian judicial system and believe this case will be handled fairly.

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