Citizens Advice Scotland has upheld its dismissal of former chief executive Margaret Lynch, following a failed internal appeal by Lynch last week.

Lynch was suspended by the charity last August, pending an internal investigation for gross misconduct.

Her sacking was officially confirmed by the charity at the end of February but was not made permanent until the results of last week’s appeal.

This morning a spokeswoman for CAS confirmed Lynch’s appeal was rejected last Tuesday by an internal committee of three trustees.

On Friday CAS said it was taking steps new to ensure “a robust control environment” at the charity, including a governance review to “make the charity a model within the sector for progressive governance”.

It also announced plans to “review all financial and risk procedures and controls to ensure that they are fully effective” and create “new expenses and delegated authority frameworks to ensure that there are adequate controls over individual spend, while allowing normal operations to proceed”.

The role of chief executive will be carried out by existing chief operating officer, Anne Lavery, until a permanent replacement is found.

Lynch’s appointment and subsequent dismissal as chief executive follows a period of upheaval at the charity, with a quick succession of chief executives – two over two years - before her appointment.

Her three years at the helm saw CAS’s income increase from £5.2m per annum to £14m, according to Lynch's Linkedin statement.