The Charity Commission has frozen the assets of a Christian charity that has failed to file any financial records since launching eight years ago.

The regulator has also opened a statutory inquiry into the running of London based Gorgias Charitable Trust amid concerns over its finances.

It registered as a charity in April 2018 but the following year told the Commission that it had no income during its first financial year.

“The regulator has serious concerns as to the accuracy of the information provided in 2019, as the charity appears to have been operating and has seriously understated its income,” said the Commission.

It details that the charity has also failed to file any accounting information since then “which constitutes misconduct and/or mismanagement in the administration of the charity”, said the regulator.

Further concerns centre on “unauthorised trustee benefits” including payments made to a trustee for services carried out in the financial year ending 31 December 2020.

The Commission’s probe will look at the extent to which trustees are complying and have complied with their legal duties, including statutory reporting responsibilities and in managing the charity’s finances.

Whether trustees have received any unauthorised private benefit from the charity will also be looked at.

According to the charities register the Trust was set up to advance health and religion and has three trustees.

---