Wikimedia Suspends UK Branch Funding During Conflict of Interest Investigation

The controversy surrounding Wikimedia's UK branch continues as the main Wikimedia Foundation, located in the US, has withdrawn funding to the UK charter. It hasn't taken away funds already available, it would have had a tough time doing so, but it is no longer linking to the UK charity on its donation page.

With the big donation drive of the end of the year coming, the time when Wikipedia raises most of its money, Wikimedia UK is left without a revenue source as all donations from the UK will be directed towards the US branch.

The move comes after one member of the UK branch was accused of a conflict of interest. He was being paid as a consultant, first by the town of Monmouth, for the Monmouthpedia, and then by Gibraltar, for the Gibraltarpedia project.

At the same time, he was editing the Wikipedia homepage and promoting links to the two projects. This conflict of interest led to him resigning from the Wikimedia UK foundation.

But the Wikipedia Foundation still wants to get to the bottom of things and has ordered a review of its UK branch by an independent party.

"To better understand the facts and details of these allegations and to ensure that governance arrangements commensurate with the standing of the Wikimedia Foundation, Wikimedia UK and the worldwide Wikimedia movement, Wikimedia UK’s trustees and the Wikimedia Foundation will jointly appoint an independent expert advisor to objectively review both Wikimedia UK’s governance arrangements and its handling of the conflict of interest," the Wikipedia Foundation and Wikipedia UK said in a joint statement.

When the review is completed and after it is reviewed by both organizations, it will be published for public scrutiny.

Still, the immediate result is that all funds raised this year from the UK will go towards Wikipedia Foundation, which will decide what to do with them and what portion will go towards Wikimedia UK.