ShelterBox founder Tom Henderson is understood to have been arrested on suspicion of charity fraud and money-laundering.

According to ITV and BBC news sources, Henderson, who was dismissed from ShelterBox as its CEO last year amid claims of conflicts of interest, was arrested by fraud investigation police last Wednesday along with two other men.

The three men have been released on bail until December.

A statement on Devon & Cornwall Police’s website says three men have been arrested in an ongoing charity fraud investigation allegedly involving a former senior member of staff at a Helston-based charity.

It continues: “A 62-year-old man from Helston, a 33-year-old man from Hayle and a 40-year-old man from Beaminster in Dorset have all been arrested on suspicion of committing fraud and money-laundering offences.”

In April, Tom Henderson launched a new disaster-relief charity called Shelter for Humanity in memory of his wife who died within 24 hours of his dismissal from Shelterbox.

Henderson, who received an OBE for his charity work in 2010, was dismissed from ShelterBox in July last year, leaving intellectual property rights with the charity. He has strenuously denied claims by trustees that he “failed to abide by the related-party transaction policy” when trying to place a £650,000 contract with a company linked to his son.

However, similar transactions had been made in the past with Ocean Fabrication Ltd and Camping Solutions Ltd, where his son is, respectively, a director and sole shareholder. The charity submitted a serious incident report to the Charity Commission regarding the matter at the time.

Henderson did not respond to enquiries.

ShelterBox said it had been "made aware" a former member of staff had been arrested.

It said: "The employee in question was dismissed from his role with ShelterBox in July 2012, and is no longer connected with the charity.

"We are confident that his arrest is in no way related to ShelterBox's current activities."