The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into an Islamic broadcasting charity because of concerns about alleged significant unauthorised payments.

The regulator said in a statement today that it had opened an inquiry into Fadak Media Broadcasts last month after receiving a serious incident report from the charity with suspicions about “significant unauthorised payments from within the charity”. 

The commission said: “The report has raised serious regulatory concerns about the management and administration of the charity, and whether the trustees have sufficient oversight of the charity’s finances.”

The charity which broadcasts through its website and on YouTube, has objects to advance Islam, advance the education of the public in the Islamic religion and to promote religious harmony.

The charity was registered with the commission in January last year and has not yet been required to file any accounts with the regulator.

The commission said the inquiry would examine issues including whether the charity’s trustees had exercised sufficient control of the charity’s assets and whether there had been any misappropriation of those assets.

Third Sector was unable to speak to anybody at the charity using the telephone number listed on its website.