The inquiry into Care4Calais by the Charity Commission has found that the former trustees of the charity failed to meet basic governance standards over a number of years, lacked appropriate governance structures, had poor internal financial controls and that its approach to handling complaints was inadequate.

There were serious failings in the charity’s financial management, notably a lack of suitable internal financial controls.

Between October 2017 and August 2020, payments of £340,092 were made to the personal bank account of one of the charity’s now former trustees and founding members, ranging from £2,800 to £20,000. As a result, at the opening of the inquiry the Commission used its powers to restrict financial transactions between the charity and current or former trustees.

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