Camila Batmanghelidjh Given Brutal Grilling By MPs Over Kids Company's Financial Mismanagement Claims

Kids Company Founder Gives MPs Masterclass In Being Awkward
Parliament

Kids Company founder Camila Batmanghelidjh has delivered a much-mocked performance at her grilling by MPs today.

She was called before the select committee to defend herself against allegations of financial mismanagement during her 16-year tenure at the charity that worked with vulnerable children.

But she was accused by one questioner of spouting "psychobabble, a torrent of words, verbal ectoplasm" in an appearance alongside Alan Yentob, creative director of the BBC and former trustee of the charity.

Batmanghelidjh was blasted for blustering through answers, and even warned by one MP: "You are aware that it is contempt of parliament to mislead this committee?"

Her defences to allegations the charity had forked out hundreds of pounds to children were contradictory.

She was ridiculed for her response to questions about where Government funding granted to Batmanghelidjh's charity had ended up.

This prompted a barrage of awful jokes.

And when she tried to claim some answers shouldn't be given in public, people having none of it.

After her extensive series of gaffes, Batmanghelidjh, left few impressed.

Yentob, appeared alongside her, but received just as scathing reaction to his performance.

He came under intense fire for his role in overseeing the closure of Kids Company, while acting as its chair of trustees.

He sought to justify travelling to a BBC studio with Batmanghelidjh for an interview she did weeks ago on its closure and denied this gesture was an attempt to influence the BBC's coverage.

But his explanation did not go down well.

Things got worse when Yentob attempted to scorn his questioners.

The move completely backfired.

And left lots of people wondering if he might be in the wrong job.

The three-hour grilling was insightful and entertaining - not least because the awkward experience served as a masterclass to MPs, bosses and experts, who often appear in front of similar committees.

Batmanghelidjh announced she would step down as chief executive of her charity back in August, when concerns were first raised about serious financial mismanagement with thousands of pounds of taxpayers money it received.

During the hearing, Batmanghelidjh said the charity had 36,000 clients and, since its closure, only 1,069 of them had been handed to local councils.

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