Seven organizations were canceled for “non-compliance” in their financial reports, and their assets will pass to the State, and eight for “voluntary dissolution of members,” according to two resolutions published in the official newspaper La Gaceta.
A resolution by the Ministry of the Interior shut down seven bodies that “did not report their Financial Statements for periods of between 02 to 11 years in accordance with fiscal periods, with detailed breakdowns of income and expenses, balance sheets, details of donations (origin, source and end beneficiary) and Board of Directors.”
These NGOs were left “in breach of their obligations, in accordance with the Laws that regulate them, and hindering the control and supervision of the General Directorate of Registry and Control of Non-Profit Organizations,” the publication said.
Nicaragua tightened laws following protests against President Daniel Ortega’s government in 2018, which left over 300 dead in three months of street blocks and clashes between opponents and supporters, according to the UN.
Ortega’s government, which considered the protests an attempted coup promoted by Washington, claimed some NGOs financed them.
The closed Evangelical organizations include the Evangelical Mission Association “Cristo Viene” of Nicaragua, the Centro Misionero Esperanza de Dios Church Association and the Sicar Evangelical Church Association.
The legal statuses of Viviendas León NGO, Sonati-Nicaragua Association and Global Partnerships were also canceled, as well as the Rescatando Huellas Foundation, dedicated to the care and shelter of dogs and cats.
The movable and immovable assets of those seven associations will be transferred to the State, according to the legislation governing non-profit organizations, the Interior Ministry said.
The closure of the associations also occurs within a legal framework hardened for NGOs in Nicaragua, where President Daniel Ortega’s government has closed some 3,500 since 2018.
The Ministry of the Interior also approved the closure of another eight bodies at the request of their members who alleged lack of resources or funds for their projects, according to another publication in La Gaceta.
The Evangelical bodies requesting closure include the Isaiah 53-5 Healing Ministry Association, the Pentecostal Churches Throne of Jehovah Christian Ministry Association and the Under His Presence Christian Ministry Association.
The Bethlehem Catholic Lay Association of St. Michael the Archangel of Nicaragua, made up of elderly people with chronic illnesses, requested dissolution due to lack of funds, the Interior Ministry indicated.
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