Croydon Tabernacle under investigation by the Charity Commission. Pic: Croydon Tabernacle

A Croydon Christian charity has had its bank account frozen over a “serious regulatory concern”.

The investigation by the Charity Commission into the accounts of the Croydon Tabernacle, a Parsons Mead based faith group that aims to help the vulnerable, was launched on May 1.

According to the Charity Commission, the financial information raised serious concerns including: “unexplained expenditure and potentially conflicted payments to people connected with the charity.”

This follows a period of engagement between the Commission and the charity since November 2016 and a meeting in February 2017. The issues were still not resolved so a statutory inquiry has been opened.

A press release from the Charity Commission said: “The charity’s objectives include advancing the Christian faith, relieving people who are in conditions of vulnerability or hardship and promoting charitable purposes.

“The Commission examined the charity’s financial information and found cause for serious regulatory concern.

“As a result of its concerns, the Commission has frozen a bank account controlled by the charity.”

The inquiry will look into whether there has been misconduct in the administration of the charity, any potential conflicts of interest, and that connected party payments and transactions were properly authorised.

A Croydon Tabernacle spokesman said: “Our Board of Trustees has received a notice of statutory inquiry from the Charity Commission. We have been assisting fully with their inquiries and, under their guidance, we will take appropriate action to make sure we are compliant.

“We would like to thank our tireless army of volunteers for their hard work within our congregation, our local community and far beyond. We appreciate their patience and understanding while this inquiry takes place.”

The Croydon Tabernacle is a part of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, a church founded in Nigeria in 1952.