The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into the Middlesbrough Central Masjid and Community Centre after it failed to file any financial accounts.
The move follows more than three years of late or non-existent accounts, according to the commission.
The saga began in December 2019 when the the regulator placed the charity into a double defaulter class inquiry.
These types of inquiry are set up to investigate charities failing to meet the legal requirement to file their annual reports, accounts and returns for two or more years.
It led the masjid and community centre to submit its annual return and accounts for 2018/19, albeit more than 180 days overdue.
The commission said the charity also submitted an incomplete Trustees Annual Report (TAR) for the same year.
Despite the ongoing double defaulter class inquiry, the charity again failed to submit annual returns and accounts in 2020 and 2021, the commission said.
It is a legal requirement for a charity to submit its required documents no later than 10 months after the end of its financial year end.
The masjid and community centre provides a place of worship, religious education and community services for the community in Middlesbrough.
The inquiry, which opened on 13 December 2022, will examine:
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Whether the trustees are complying with their legal duties over administration, governance and management of the charity. This includes management of the charity’s finances.
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Whether any failing or weaknesses in the administration, governance and management are the result of misconduct and/or mismanagement by the trustees.
The commission said it may extend the scope of the inquiry if additional regulatory issues emerged.