The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland has announced a plans to remove three trustees from two charities under the Charities Act for Northern Ireland.

A statement on the regulator’s website said it will remove Frederick D Tughan as a trustee from housing charity Victoria Housing Estates Limited and Bangor Provident Trust, and will also remove Jill Robinson and Ronald Woods for Bangor Provident Trust.

The CCNI has opened a consultation into whether the individuals should be removed, but has not said why it plans to remove them. 

The Commission opened statutory inquiries into Bangor Provident Trust Limited and Victoria Housing Estates Limited on 8 August 2012, according to a previously issued statement. The inquiries relate to concerns regarding the governance and financial matters, it said.

Both have appealed to the Charity Tribunal for Northern Ireland.

A hearing in May 2013 examined whether the organisations were charities under law - and if not, whether the statutory inquiry could be dismissed. It concluded that Bangor Provident Trust was "not a charity" (although that decision was later overturned by a High Court ruling in August 2014) but that Victoria Housing Estates Limited was a charity.

The tribunal papers noted that evidence presented by witness Derek Tughan on behalf of Victoria Housing Estates, was "quite remarkable for his lack of recollection of crucial matters".