Two of the Dove Trust appeals to the Charity Tribunal have been struck out after the judge ruled that the appellant’s prospect of success is “fanciful” and a five-day hearing would be a waste of public money.

One of the appeals referred the to Charity Commission’s decision to freeze the charity’s accounts and the other to the appointment of an interim manager. These two were being heard together.  

The Dove Trust is the parent charity of Charity Giving, which was shut down in 2013 by the regulator over concerns that money donated by the public was not finding its way to good causes. Pesh Framjee, partner at Crowe Clarke Whitehall, was appointed as the interim manager by the Commission.

Freezing orders relating to two of the charity’s bank accounts have been revoked and two will be soon. A high court ruling has already directed the interim manager to begin distributing funds has been in place since the summer.

Principle Judge, Alison McKenna said in decision: “I have concluded that the appellant’s prospect of success in both these appeals falls into the ‘fanciful’ rather than ‘realistic’ category of cases. Taking into account the significant public resources which would have to be dedicated to the hearing of the appeals, I have concluded that it would not be proportionate to the importance of the case to continue to a hearing.”

She also warned that the case would likely have taken longer than the five days allocated to it because the appellant’s case contained lots of duplication.

On 27 October the Tribunal ruled against an application from Keith Colman, founder and former trustee of the charity, to be joined as a party to the appeals. He had previously be removed as an appellant and has been acting as a representative for Bryan Gunn.