A charity linked to deceased loyalist campaigner Willie Frazer has been asked to pay back almost £50,000 to the Victim and Survivors Service.
The service pulled funding from the Family Research and Policy Unit (FRPU) last year.
Mr Frazer, who died in June 2019, had been linked to the victims group, which is based in Markethill, Co Armagh.
The Victim and Survivors Service (VSS) provides funding to community and voluntary organisations which deliver “support and services in a wide range of areas including health and wellbeing and advocacy support”.
FRPU has received more than £542,000 from VSS since 2015, with the cash allocated on a quarterly basis until 2019.
In a statement, the VSS said the “maximum level of expenditure which could be determined to be ineligible is £48,791”- meaning that supporting documentation for that amount has not been provided.
Ineligible expenditure has been identified in the period from 2017 – 2019, with the amount in 2017/18 calculated at £29,742.
Of the £26,363 originally deemed ineligible for 2018/19, supporting documentation was later produced for £7,449, bringing the total down to £18,914.
Figures show that £135 was viewed as ineligible for the year 2019/20.
“After a review of corporate governance within the Families Research and Policy Unit, VSS took the decision to withdraw funding,” it said.
“This funding was not reinstated.
“The VSS remains in contact with FRPU in relation to the outcome of the review, and to seek recovery of any funding deemed to be ineligible.
“The maximum level of expenditure which could be determined to be ineligible is £48,791.”
The statement added that the funding body will “continue to review information provided which could support the eligibility of expenditure, and therefore reduce the amount to be recovered".
“It would not be appropriate to comment further until this process is complete.”
The FRPU registered as a charity in 2017.
The Charities Commission, which oversees the running of charitable organisations in the north, said it “received a concern about the FPRU in June 2020".
“No further detail on the concern can be provided as to do so would have the potential to prejudice any current or future investigation by the commission.
“Furthermore, concerns received are considered to have been submitted to the commission in confidence.”
