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Over the last few weeks some media organisations have published articles in which the Chairman of Afrika Direkt e. V., the actor Charles M. Huber, made serious accusations against the Peter Ustinov Foundation. The Foundation is rejecting Huber’s accusations because they are slanderous and unfounded: legal action is being taken against him.

Charles M. Huber maintains, among other things, that the Foundation diverted donations and Afrika Direkt e. V. has been cheated of the true amount of donations. On this subject, Günter Conrad, Chairman of the Peter Ustinov Foundation stated: “We will not allow this individual person to attempt to damage our good reputation, wilfully and without any basis for doing this. We will take legal action against Charles M. Huber”
• Huber diverts attention from own failures
• Explanation about use of funds unavoidable
• Huber demands more money than is due to his Association
• Fundraising as a basis for Foundation work

Huber diverts attention from own failures
The Foundation is assuming that Charles M. Huber is pursuing a diversion strategy. As Chairman of Afrika Direkt e. V. he has failed, for eighteen months now, to deliver important documents to the Foundation. The subject of these documents is the use of donated funds. “We do not want to speculate about the reasons for this,” says Günter Conrad. “We feel we have been forced to demand the documents via the legal system.”

In February 2007 the Foundation made a promise and contractual agreement with Afrika Direkt e. V. in relation to a planned school project in Senegal. Twenty thousand euros were transferred to the Association’s bank account. As the recipient of donated funds, Afrika Direkt e. V. would have an obligation, under both tax and foundation law, to furnish verifiable documents that the funds had been properly used. This was incomplete – and still is today. For this reason, the Foundation decided at the start of 2008, as a provisional measure, not to transfer 81,000 euros from two donation mail shots organised by the Foundation and approved by Charles M. Huber. “We were under an obligation,” explained Günter Conrad. “It is a basis of our Foundation’s work that we are serious, reliable and transparent and this is consistent with legislation on Foundations.”

Explanation about use of funds unavoidable
Charles M. Huber attempted at the end of 2008 to issue proceedings to obtain the development funds. The result was a compromise. The Foundation stated that it was prepared to pay the outstanding 81,000 euros subject to Huber submitting the outstanding documents. Instead of the invoices requested by the court, Huber then presented a list which could not be verified concerning the use of the grant funding in Senegal. That is not a tax document. He has again not met his obligation to submit the documents confirmed by the court. In spite of this, the Foundation paid out the 81,000 euros at the end of May – but still subject to the proviso. “It is and remains a scandal that the recipient of charitable funds amounting to over 10,000 euros does not provide clear evidence of what he used these for,” is the opinion of Foundation Chairman Günter Conrad.

Huber demands more money than is due to his association
Recently, the Chairman of Afrika Direkt e. V. has stated that his project is due more money from the two mail shots soliciting donations. This claim is absurd. These two mail shots achieved donations of 219,000 euros. Out of this figure, 93,000 euros were the cost of the mail shot. As a result, the result of the campaign for donations was 126,000 euros. After deducting eight percent for administrative costs and twelve percent for supporting other projects in line with the constitution, the Foundation paid 101,000 euros to Afrika Direkt e. V., in instalments of 20,000 and 81,000 euros. As an example of other projects in line with the constitution, Günter Conrad specified the Ustinov Theatre School, the MUS-E programme at the Peter Ustinov Schools and support from the Sir Peter Ustinov Institute for researching and combating prejudice in Vienna.

Fundraising as a basis for Foundation work
“Anyone who demands that we pay the cost ourselves of mail shots for donations for partner projects, takes the axe to the roots of the operation of collections for foundations as a whole.” This is because such a Foundation does not have any financial assets from which it can use profits to finance itself,” is how Günter Conrad explained the actions of Charles M. Huber.
Helmut Falter, Chairman of Nepalhilfe Aachen e.V., and himself a businessman and long-time project partner of Sir Peter Ustinov’s Foundation, backed him up: “Fundraising is an investment to obtain donations and only when donations are received can aid projects be implemented. However, it is only when you try yourself to obtain money for your own projects that you ascertain how time-consuming and costly it is.” * Jochen Seefried, Chairman of the association Hilfe für HIV Waisenkinder e. V. and a project partner of the Sir Peter Ustinov Foundation for many years, is speechless when he considers Mr. Huber’s statements: “The Peter Ustinov Foundation is a reliable partner and has always enjoyed a position of trust. This was in spite of what were sometimes major difficulties on site in relation to the construction of an orphanage for HIV-infected orphans in St. Petersburg. The Foundation also bears the economic risk of such a call for donations – a risk which we, as an association, could not bear.”

* The Peter Ustinov Foundation has achieved very good figures on average compared to other Foundations in the course of more than 60 mail shots over the last five years of collecting donations. Only 27 cents of total costs are incurred per euro donated. On average, the Peter Ustinov Foundation – in relation to the “Donation mail shots” – has achieved a return on investment of 3.64 euros. This means that for every one euro deployed it generates 3.64 euros in donations.

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