The Royal Canadian Legion B.C. Yukon Command is operating Branch 10 Harewood under a temporary trusteeship. CHRIS BUSH/The News Bulletin

The Royal Canadian Legion B.C. Yukon Command is operating Branch 10 Harewood under a temporary trusteeship. CHRIS BUSH/The News Bulletin

Royal Canadian Legion places Branch 10 Harewood under temporary trusteeship

RCMP investigating financial irregularities, Legion says

Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 10 in Nanaimo is being operated under a trusteeship after alleged financial irregularities were discovered.

The legion branch, located at 129 Harewood Rd., is up and running again this month after it was closed for three weeks in October for what the Royal Canadian Legion B.C. Yukon Command described in a press release as a “serious issue.”

According to the press release, issued Nov. 8 by Glenn Hodge, Royal Canadian Legion B.C. Yukon Command president, the branch was placed under a trusteeship, which took over the building and management of the branch to secure its assets and investigate allegations made about financial irregularities at the branch that were presented to the Royal Canadian Legion Oct. 5.

“The trusteeship was put into place due to alleged financial irregularities and non-compliance of various policies and bylaws,” Hodge said in the release. “In our investigation, we identified that there were definite financial irregularities and, as part of our regular procedure, have asked to have a police investigation into these irregularities.”

The press release went on to say that because there is an active police investigation, no further details could be released about the nature of the allegations, but the Royal Canadian Legion would keep members informed about the “progress of the branch operations and its operations.”

Achim Sen, one of two trustees appointed to take over operations of the branch, said the branch was closed Oct. 5 and reopened Nov. 1.

Sen confirmed the police investigation was being handled through the Nanaimo RCMP detachment, but could not provide further details.

According to the press release, the trusteeship would continue until “the legion is confident the branch can once again sustain itself.”

<hr width=”75%”>

<p><a href=”mailto:photos@nanaimobulletin.com” target=”_blank”><br />photos@nanaimobulletin.com<br /><strong>Like us on <a href=”http://www.facebook.com/nanaimobulletin” target=”_blank”>Facebook</a> and follow us on <a href=”http://www.twitter.com/nanaimobulletin” target=”_blank”>Twitter</a> </strong></p>

Nanaimo News Bulletin