The Charity Commission has launched an investigation into the charity Animal Protection Services over “significant concerns” around private prosecutions it brought against pet owners that were dismissed at trial.
The prosecution was against several pet owners for alleged unlawful and unlicensed sale of pets.
But in dismissing the cases judges raised concerns “that the charity had a financial incentive for bringing the prosecutions” according to the regulator.
The Commission’s statutory inquiry will investigate trustees’ decision making around the prosecutions and whether they managed any potential conflicts of interest.
Whether there was any unauthorised direct or indirect private benefit and whether trustees met their legal obligations in relating to filing accounts and returns.
“The regulator is also investigating whether individuals connected to the charity have benefited inappropriately from its work,” added the Commission.
According to the charity register Animal Protection Services investigates and prosecutes organised animal cruelty.
“The Charity undertakes intelligence-driven investigations, with the goal of presenting verifiable and credible first-hand evidence of animal welfare criminality to put before the courts.”
In addition, the charity “identifies high-level suspects through intelligence analysis and by sharing intelligence”.
There is no trustee or financial information on the register and its accounts for the year ending March 2021 are now almost two months late.
Latest News
-
Charity’s spending curbed as regulator probes alleged Hamas links
-
Regulator issues guidance to charities impacted by Beacon CRM data breach
-
Monday movers –10 August 2026
-
‘Still a long way to go before volunteering becomes the norm’ despite improvement, RVS warns
-
Spending concerns spark probe into community transport charity
-
Oxfam becomes UK’s first national charity to launch a clothing rental service
Beyond the funding squeeze: Using equities to secure your charity’s future
With charities facing increasing financial pressure and traditional income streams under strain, making investments work harder has never been more important. M&G’s Richard Macey and Michael Stiasny join Charity Times to discuss why equities remain a vital long-term asset class for charities, how organisations can balance income generation and growth, and the opportunities the current market environment may offer to help strengthen financial resilience.
Charity Times Awards 2023
Charity Times video Q&A: In conversation with Hilda Hayo, CEO of Dementia UK
Charity Times editor, Lauren Weymouth, is joined by Dementia UK CEO, Hilda Hayo to discuss why the charity receives such high workplace satisfaction results, what a positive working culture looks like and the importance of lived experience among staff. The pair talk about challenges facing the charity, the impact felt by the pandemic and how it's striving to overcome obstacles and continue to be a highly impactful organisation for anybody affected by dementia.
© 2021 Perspective Publishing Privacy & Cookies
Recent Stories