The Charity Commission, the regulator of charities in England and Wales, has opened an inquiry into the FIA Foundation.

The FIA Foundation manages and supports an international programme of activities promoting road safety, environmental protection and sustainable mobility, as well as funding motorsport safety research.

The Commission has opened a statutory inquiry to protect the charity's property whilst it investigates concerns that have been raised with it.

Due to the nature of the concerns, the regulator has issued the charity with an immediate temporary protective order, this order prevents the charity and its trustees from entering into certain transactions without the prior written approval of the Commission.

The inquiry will examine the extent to which the trustees are complying or have complied with their legal duties in respect of the administration, governance and management of the charity, with particular regard to:

• examining the relationship between the charity and the non-charitable organisation Fédération Internationale de L' Automobile ("FIA"), and whether any conflicts of interest have been appropriately identified and managed, with specific reference to grants awarded by the charity

• determining whether any of the charity's property has been or is at risk and to take action to protect such property.

The scope of the inquiry may be extended if additional regulatory issues emerge.

It is the Commission's usual policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing the issues examined, any action taken, and the inquiry's outcomes.

"The Charity Commission has contacted the FIA Foundation raising regulatory issues," said a spokesperson for the FIA Foundation. "The Commission has informed the Foundation that this regulatory engagement is not a finding of wrongdoing.

"The trustees of the Foundation are confident that its affairs have been properly conducted, and they intend to co-operate fully with the Commission to achieve a speedy resolution of the Commission's concerns."