Rehabilitate Youth Ireland charity faces investigation

A BELFAST charity is under investigation by a watchdog.

The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland has opened a statutory inquiry into Rehabilitate Youth Ireland, which provides support to encourage participation in hobbies and sport among young people.

The probe began on Thursday and relates to concerns about the governance and administration of the charity.

Rehabilitate Youth Ireland currently appears on the register of charities in default, meaning it has not complied with its legal obligations to provide accounts and reports to the commission.

A spokesperson for the Charity Commission said: “As part of its inquiry, the commission has appointed Deloitte (NI) Limited as interim manager of the charity as a temporary and protective measure.

“The commission’s order means Deloitte is currently acting as manager in respect of the property and affairs of the charity.

“As a proportionate regulator, and so as to ensure that the investigation is fair, the commission will not be making any further comment while the investigation is ongoing.”

According to its entry on the Charity Commission website, Rehabilitate Youth Ireland is established “for the relief of need amongst our youth and their families”.

A spokesperson for the charity said yesterday: “We welcome the Charity Commission investigation, which was instigated by the charity itself, and look forward to moving forward with a clean bill of health.”