Captain Tom Moore, a 100-year-old WWII veteran, poses with his medal after being made a Knight Bachelor during an investiture at Windsor Castle in Windsor, west of London on July 17, 2020. CHRIS JACKSON POOL AFP LONDON - Britain's charity watchdog said on Thursday it had launched an investigation into the foundation set up in honor of record-breaking fundraiser Captain Tom Moore, who raised millions during the coronavirus epidemic.
After raising 38.9 million pounds $53 million for the National Health Service in April 2020, Moore became a national hero after walking around his garden with the help of a frame.
He died in February of last year, aged 100 after contracting COVID 19, with condolences from Queen Elizabeth, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Joe Biden's White House.
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The Charity Commission said it had opened an inquiry after identifying concerns about the management of the Captain Tom Moore Foundation, which was set up in the wake of his fundraising success, including independence from his family.
It said it was concerned that a company controlled by his daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore might have generated a lot of profit by using the Captain Tom'' trademark without objection from the charity.
Moore's money was donated to a separate charity before the Foundation was formed and is not part of the investigation.
Helen Stephenson, the Commission's chief executive, said, "We do not take any decision to open an inquiry lightly, but in this case our concerns have mounted."
We consider it in the public interest to examine them through a formal investigation, which gives us access to the full range of our protective and enforcement powers. Stephen Jones, chairman of the Board of trustees of the Captain Tom Foundation, said they would work closely with the commission in its inquiry relating to intellectual property management last July. The regulator refused permission for the Foundation to hire Ingram-Moore as chief executive on a salary of 100,000 pounds a year, saying it was not justifiable.
The following month, it allowed her to be appointed for a maximum of nine months with a wage of 85,000 pounds, while they looked for a new CEO who has since been recruited.