Wake Up Singapore understands that Deshi Gill, the executive director of The Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME), has been suspended from her duties by HOME after allegations of alleged misappropriation of monies surfaced.
Statement by HOME
HOME is a Singapore-based charity that empowers and supports migrant workers who experience abuse and exploitation.
In a statement dated 17 January 2023, HOME stated that the suspension was put in place for HOME to conduct an internal inquiry. Preliminary investigations have also revealed that there is a ‘basis for suspected misconduct’.
HOME has since notified the relevant authorities of the matter.
In its statement, HOME reiterated it’s ‘unwavering’ commitment to advance the migrant worker cause, and thanked all members of the public and donors for their support over the years.
“We would like to sincerely thank all members of the public and donors who have supported us over the years. HOME’s commitment to advance the migrant worker cause remains unwavering. During this time, all our operations and services continue to function, and we will continue to strive to improve the well-being and dignity of migrant workers in Singapore.”
Who is Deshi Gill?
Deshi Gill, who has been working with HOME since 2017, was appointed the Executive Director of HOME sometime on or around July 2021.
Based on the organisational structure chart from HOME’s Annual Report 2021, Deshi reports directly to the Board of Directors.
Deshi Gill worked as an accountant for 4 years before joining HOME as a Senior Finance Manger in January 2017.
Post on r/SingaporeRaw
The matter was first publicised on the SingaporeRaw subreddit via a post by u/Wild-Attorney18 dated 16 January 2023.
Sources informed Wake Up Singapore that, contrary to the allegations levelled at the Board in the Reddit post, the Board had acted swiftly to suspend Deshi and get to the bottom of the matter.
In its statement, HOME wrote that it is currently reviewing its governance control to ‘to ensure the rigour of our internal processes so that such lapses will not occur again.’
HOME’s Finances
Based on HOME’s audited financial statements from 2021, HOME has more than s$7M in assets brought forward to 2022.
The quantum of sums involved in the alleged misappropriation by Deshi Gill is unclear.
Kokila Annamalai, a community organiser who has also worked on migrant workers issues over the years, told Wake Up Singapore that she is confident HOME will ‘act quickly to remedy the situation’ and urged ‘everyone to continue to support them in fighting the good fight’.
“The team of staff and volunteers at HOME have a long reputation of integrity and courageous advocacy, and they have shown at every step that they are deeply committed to migrant workers’ welfare. As they grapple with this violation of trust, I am confident that they are acting quickly to remedy the situation, and will be guided by the strong values the organisation is built on. I urge everyone to continue to support them in fighting the good fight.”
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