The Commissioner of Voluntary Organisations has been inundated with calls since news broke that police are investigating the founder of a charitable association over allegations of misappropriating donations.

Kenneth Wain said several people called to establish how they should go about seeing the accounts of charities they supported and how they could be reassured organisations were genuine.

This reaction was sparked after five helpers from the Association for Abandoned Animals filed a police report accusing the founder Freddie Fenech of repeated misappropriation of funds. They alleged they were unable to account for donations made directly to Mr Fenech and remained in the dark as to where the money went.

AAA is registered with the Commissioner and after ousting Mr Fenech, it is in the process of regulating its accounts. However, the investigations prompted Prof. Wain to advise the public against making donations to voluntary organisations that are not listed on its register.

For years, the public has given generously, yet blindly, because there was no way of establishing if the donation was going towards the charitable cause or into someone's pocket.

Prof. Wain stressed the importance of donors requesting an official receipt, and his advice was to ask to see the organisation's VO number and certificate.

"If they feel something is not right or they have any suspicion they should contact our offices," he said.

This incident has also encouraged a number of NGOs to come forward and enrol. So far some 250 organisations have registered, but since there has never been a comprehensive list, he estimates there are many more to come.

He stressed that his office was there to help organisations with the administration of their finances and the running of the organisation.

The Commissioner's office is in the process of drafting a document to standardise the manner in which organisations submit their annual reports and accounts for vetting.

"It is important for the credibility of the sector for NGOs to enrol. Transparency benefits everybody because it puts people's minds at rest and encourages them to donate more," he said.

Any doubts can be cleared with the Commissioner's office at Block C, Beltissebħ, e-mail vo@gov.mt or call 2568 7261/3.