Two accountants who have been charged in connection with a £1m charity gift aid fraud, and are due to appear at City of London Magistrates’ Court today.

The Crown Prosecution Service has charged Edward Watkin Gittins and Martin Calcutt with cheating the public revenue.

Yesterday, Jaswant Narwal, deputy head of the fraud division at the CPS, said Watkin Gittins and Calcutt had been charged in connection with a scheme that cost the Revenue “in the region of £1m”.

It is claimed that between March 2004 and February 2007, the men helped clients cut their tax bills by abusing gift aid – individuals made a gift to charity to offset the value of those gifts against their tax liabilities.

Narwal told the Times: “It is alleged that Mr Watkin Gittins designed the scheme, while he and Mr Calcutt both implemented it.

“It is also alleged that forged documents were supplied in order to induce HMRC to grant their claim for tax relief.”

The solicitor for Watkin Gittins told the Times that he denies any wrongdoing.

HMRC declined to comment.