Five crew members suspended from a lifeboat charity last year have been reinstated following an appeal hearing before the Northern Irish Charity Tribunal last week.

The five men had volunteered at Lough Neagh Rescue, which provides lifeboat services from two stations on Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland’s largest lake.

But the CCNI used its powers to remove them as members of the charity in October, as part of an ongoing investigation into the charity.

The men appealed to the tribunal in December, and a hearing took place over five days last week, concluding on Friday. The CCNI said at the hearing that it did not intend to oppose the appeal. As a result the five men have been reinstated as members with immediate effect.

The CCNI investigated Lough Neagh Rescue after receiving complaints from several individuals, including the suspended members, that the charity was not being properly run. The complaints followed a long-running dispute between members of the charity over its administration.

The CCNI said it had decided that the members who had raised initial concerns were posing a “serious risk to the charity, its reputation and beneficiaries” and decided to remove them as a result.

It also removed a trustee of the charity, Trevor McKee, for similar reasons. McKee’s appeal was also held at the same time, and a judgment is expected shortly.

Greg Burke, one of the men who was reinstated, said the CCNI had used excessive resources prosecuting ordinary individuals.

“There was a lack of investigation here from start to finish,” he said. “They never once interviewed us in person to get our side of the story. They have put us through hell for a year and a half and the consequence to us has been our reputations destroyed, our families humiliated in the towns where they live and the homes that they sleep.

“But in the end there was no case to answer.

“They turned up to prosecute us with a barrister and a solicitor and three top officials. We were defended by William Dugan a local window cleaner.”

Burke said he intended to pursue CCNI officials for misconduct over the handling of his case.

“I have contacted my MP,” he said. “I’ve contacted anyone I can think of. I intend to pursue these people down any rabbit hole in Northern Ireland they try to hide in.”

A Charity Commission for Northern Ireland spokesman said: “The Commission’s ultimate aim in instituting a statutory inquiry into Lough Neagh Rescue was always to improve the governance of the charity so that it can operate effectively and independently as a life saving organisation.

“Since the orders to remove the members were issued, and subsequent to the actions of the Commission, the charity has moved on. The Commission is now content with the governance of Lough Neagh Rescue and that the charity is in a better position to manage its membership internally.

“As a result, we have taken the decision not to oppose the appeals of the five members.”

The CCNI has the power under the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 to “remove charity trustees, officers, agents, employees and members on the grounds of charity misconduct or mismanagement and to protect the charity”.

This was the first time the CCNI has used its powers to remove ordinary members.