Questions remain whether minibus was ever donated to a Glasgow mosque

Mystery surrounds the transfer of a minibus at a scandal-hit charity currently under control of a court-appointed liquidator.

TFN has discovered that the vehicle, which was donated by the now defunct Pollokshields Development Agency board to a mosque in Glasgow, is registered to a convicted international money launderer living in Kirkcaldy, Fife.

Ibrahim Masjid on Glasgow’s Paisley Road West, has not so far responded to our request to clarify whether or not the minibus ever came to be in its possession.

Repeated attempts to contact the registered keeper have also been unsuccessful.

However, there is no suggestion that Ibrahim Masjid is involved in any wrongdoing.

Pollokshields Development Agency (PDA) was a Glasgow-based charity providing community services, youth programmes and elderly support.

In recent years, it became embroiled in governance and financial controversies, leading to its closure by Glasgow Sheriff Court in August 2025 and is currently the subject of a protracted OSCR inquiry.

The 15-seater white Ford Transit minibus, pictured below, previously used for community transport, is now registered to a private individual in Kirkcaldy with a publicly-documented criminal conviction for international money laundering.

The donation of the minibus to the mosque, was recommended by the PDA’s former chair, Jahangheer Hussain, and approved by the charity’s board on the express condition that the minibus would remain available to the charity as required.

Recent records show that ownership has since transferred to an individual with a criminal conviction, raising questions about how the transfer was handled given the original conditions.

When contacted, Jahangheer Hussain stated that the suggestion to donate the minibus came from a staff member, and that all related documentation was no longer in his possession.

TFN previously reported that PDA’s bank balance fell from £66,651 in March 2023 to £672 by March 2024, alongside unexplained cash withdrawals, retrospective mileage claims, a sharp rise in travel expenses in the 2023 financial year and spending during periods when the charity’s bank account was frozen by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR).

The charity’s office bearers told Police Scotland that all funds had been used for charitable purposes and that the accounts were externally audited. However, Shah & Co, the charity’s accountants, stated that they prepared the accounts from figures provided by the trustees and do not provide an audit opinion.

A source familiar with the matter told TFN: “The situation with the minibus reflects broader governance concerns. While the donation to Ibrahim Masjid may have seemed straightforward, the lack of proper oversight has left questions about where the vehicle ended up and who ultimately benefited from it.”

During the liquidation process, the liquidator, which is appointed by the court, has a duty to investigate reasons for the organisation’s failure and the actions of its directors in the time leading up to insolvency. 

In cases of serious fraudulent trading or other criminal acts, the liquidator will inform the Insolvency Service who in turn passes findings to the Procurator Fiscal to decide whether to pursue a criminal prosecution.

Convictions can lead to fines or even a prison sentence of up to two years. 

A spokesperson for the liquidator confirmed that the transfer of the vehicle is being reviewed as part of the ongoing inquiry into the charity’s remaining assets.