The Charity Commission has launched its fourth investigation in five years into a religious charity amid ongoing concerns around its possible links to an “extreme right wing” group.

The regulator launched two probes in 1997 and another in 1999 into the management of the catholic charity the Saint George Educational Trust in Andover, Hampshire. The second of these inquiries focused on the charity’s links with an extreme right-wing group.

The latest statutory investigation will look at the charity’s “relationships with external organisations and individuals, and use of the internet and social media”.

Also being looked at is the charity’s finances and whether “its funds have been properly expended in accordance with the charity’s purposes and can be accounted for”.

“Concerns have been identified in relation to activities carried out by the charity that do not appear to further its religious purposes, including material it had posted online and political activity or campaigning,” said the regulator.

“The Commission also has significant concerns that the charity has associations with an extreme right-wing organisation and how this furthers its religious purposes, something that the Commission has previously investigated.”

During the summer the trust had become part of a class action targeting double defaulters who have failed to submit accounts for two or more years over the last five years.

The charity’s bank account has been frozen “so that no one can access or move” charity funds “without the Commission’s prior consent”, said the regulator.

“The Commission has also ordered the trustees to review and remove content from the charity’s website and social media pages that does not further the charity’s purposes and directed them not to allow such material in future.

“At this time the charity’s website is no longer available to view.”

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