Regulator faults Liberty Recycling trustees over delayed response to concerns
A trustee of Liberty Recycling also worked as an assistant to the charity’s chief executive and served as its treasurer, raising questions about her independence. The Charities Regulator criticised the trustees for failing to respond urgently to serious concerns and for remaining supportive of senior employees when it said they should have considered suspending them.
The charity is at the centre of a criminal money-laundering probe, though there is no suggestion the trustees were involved in suspected criminal activity. The regulator said it had twice failed to reach trustees by phone on 20 October, as Gardaí searched the charity’s headquarters and the chief executive’s home; it petitioned the High Court to appoint liquidators. A 2024 law prohibits a majority of trustees from being connected relatives, a rule the article says applied at Liberty from early October.
In short
- A Liberty Recycling trustee also worked for its chief executive.
- The regulator criticised trustees’ response to serious concerns.
- The charity is being wound up amid a criminal probe.
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The case for
Trustees may have had reason to avoid hasty action while serious allegations were still under investigation, particularly as there is no suggestion they were involved in suspected criminal activity. A trustee’s work for the chief executive and role as treasurer raise legitimate questions, but do not by themselves prove she could not act independently; trustees may also have needed time to establish the facts and protect the charity’s operations.
The case against
The regulator’s criticism supports the view that trustees had a duty to respond promptly to serious concerns and to consider interim safeguards, including suspending senior employees, while the investigation proceeded. A trustee serving both as the chief executive’s assistant and as treasurer could compromise confidence in independent oversight, and the reported failure to reach trustees during searches raises further questions about whether the board was exercising effective governance.
Explained simply
Liberty Recycling is a charity whose trustees are responsible for overseeing its work and acting in its interests. The chief executive and other senior employees manage its day-to-day operations, while the treasurer has a role in overseeing its finances.
The Charities Regulator monitors charities and can take concerns about their governance to court. Gardaí investigate suspected crimes, and a money-laundering probe into the charity is separate from questions about how its trustees responded; no trustee is reported to be suspected of criminal activity.
A 2024 law sets limits on how many trustees of a charity can be connected relatives. These rules, and questions about whether trustees can act independently of senior staff, matter because charities are expected to have effective oversight and public confidence.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “One trustee at Liberty Recycling, whose job it was to keep the charity honest, was employed by the now liquidated charity in a role that made her directly answerable to the CEO… as Charity Regulator lays bare their inaction”.