A Jewish charity failed to submit accounts after a trustee died and it was no longer able to access its own money, its representatives told the Charity Commission after the regulator opened a statutory inquiry last year.

The Friends of Horim Establishments Tel Aviv and Arad is no longer in default of its legal obligations to file accounting information, the Charity Commission said, after it published the report of its inquiry.

The charity, which lists its objects as the advancement of the Orthodox Jewish faith and the relief of poverty, had failed to submit its annual accounts, reports and returns to the commission for the financial years ending 31 March 2012 and 2013.

On the 20 September 2013, the Charity Commission informed the charity that it would be part of an inquiry if it did not file its accounts, as its 2011 financial report had shown it had an income of over £400,000. After numerous “computer generated reminders”, the Commission formally opened an investigation into the charity on November 5 2014.

On November 19, a correspondent for the charity informed the commission that one of its trustees had passed away, which had caused delays in the preparation and submission of the accounts. He also told the Commission that this had been compounded by: “substantial non-co-operation of the charity’s bankers" who had reportedly "transferred the funds beyond the reach of the charity’s trustees," due to the death of the active trustee.

In the report, the Commission said that “despite the charity’s problems with the bank”, the reasons given for the late accounts were not legitimate ones.

Friends of Horim’s 2012 and 2013 accounts were published on December 4 2014, making “£315,000 worth of charitable income” transparent and accountable to the public. The inquiry into the charity was closed on the same day.

Friends of Horim is now listed as “up-to-date” on the charity register. Its accounts for the year ending March 31 2014 show that it had an income of £1, and spent £320, meaning it is no longer required to submit accounting information to the Commission.

Friends of Horim was contacted by Civil Society News but no one responded with a comment.