Commission announces inquiry into orphanage charity

The charity primarily aims to relieve the suffering and advance the education of children at the Amod Orphanage in India by providing equipment, food and resources.

The charity has failed to submit its annual returns to the Charity Commission for the financial years ending in March 2020 and 2021. Its accounting information for the financial years ending in 2018 and 2019 were filed 988 and 623 days late respectively. The trustees’ failure to submit these accounts on time meant the charity was included in the Commission’s ‘double defaulter class inquiry’, during which they were clearly informed of the legal requirements to submit the charity’s accounting information.

In February 2021, the Commission issued the trustees with advice and guidance on completing the charity’s accounts, and informed them that it intended to monitor their actions regarding the filing of the outstanding financial information. Despite this, the trustees defaulted on their legal duty to submit annual returns for the financial years ending in March 2020 and 2021.

On 8 June 2022, the Charity Commission therefore opened a statutory inquiry, which will examine the extent to which the trustees have:

• complied with their statutory reporting duties including the submission of the charity’s annual reports and accounts to the Commission
• complied with an order of the Commission under section 84
• acted in accordance with their legal duties and been responsible for misconduct and/or mismanagement in the administration and management of the charity

The regulator may extend the scope of the inquiry if additional regulatory issues emerge.

It is the Commission’s policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing what issues the inquiry looked at, what actions were undertaken as part of the inquiry and what the outcomes were.

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. The Charity Commission is the independent, non-ministerial government department that registers and regulates charities in England and Wales. Its purpose is to ensure charity can thrive and inspire trust so that people can improve lives and strengthen society.