POLICE have begun to probe reports of financial "irregularities" at Scotland's leading architecture body.

Police Scotland have confirmed that they are in the early stages of investigating issues at the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS).

The force were first contacted in October over concerns raised about the 100-year-old body.

As reported in The Herald last week, Scotland's charity watchdog, the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, or OSCR, is already engaging into an inquiry of its own at the troubled body.

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: "In October 2017, Police Scotland received a report of possible financial irregularities at a professional institute.

"Enquiries are at an early stage and officers continue to establish if any criminality has taken place."

The RIAS were unvailable for comment last night.

It has been a period of turmoil at the RIAS, the eminent institution which was first founded in 1916.

RIAS is the professional body for architects and runs an accreditation scheme, as well as services such as adjudication.

It also organises major awards such as the prestigious Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award.

However, last month, more than 150 architects backed a damning letter accusing the organisation of being financially inept and “secretive and autocratic”.

The group, calling itself A New Chapter, included luminaries such as Malcolm Fraser and Jude Barber.

This was followed by the departure of the organisation's long time Secretary, Neil Baxter, who was in his position for ten years.

RIAS is to advertise for a new chief executive, and has appointed Karen Stevenson, the current director of policy and development, in an acting role.

The RIAS is also in the process of forumulating a new strategy, to cover the next five years.

The body's president, Stewart Henderson, has been re-elected to stand for another year.

In a newsletter to members this week, the RIAS said that it "acknowledges that a system of decision making has developed that is not supported by a robust policy framework.

"The findings of the review has identified a lack of structured governance and accountability."

It acknowledged: "Very recently, the Charity Regulator, OSCR, wrote to RIAS with a series of questions.

"All of those questions can and will be answered.

"The RIAS President and Council will work fully and openly with OSCR to ensure full compliance with their requests and the obligations of RIAS as a Charitable Body."

It adds that governance reviews are "entirely commonplace in organisations such as ours, particularly Royal Charter bodies. Given the context to RIAS structure - a one-hundred-year-old Charter, an historic constitution with a number of committees - this review will take time to complete."

The body has also established interim committees to consider the future direction of the incorporation.

Several issues at the RIAS, it is understood, are believed to warrant “further inquiry” by the OSCR.

The New Chapter letter said the group of architects are "concerned at what we see as a lack of effectiveness, poor governance and insufficient financial accountability in Scottish architecture’s professional body.

"We want an organisation to better champion the profession and provide more meaningful support in the many crises which have afflicted us for too long."

The signatories said they deplored the “general, self-satisfied torpor and bunkered, closed-up-ness that afflicts the RIAS, and demand that a culture of openness and inclusivity is now embraced”.

In particular the group said it would like to know more about the financial records of the RIAS, which it says has become “increasingly secretive and autocratic”.

After the publication of the letter Mr Henderson acknowledged internal investigations had been carried out including “probity reviews, salary benchmarking and a review of governance policies”.

He said there had been “legal reasons” to explain why the information had not been shared more widely.

One point of contention, to be probed by OSCR, is believed to be the contents of that probity report, by Grant Thornton accountants, and the ability of RIAS council members to access its findings.

It is understood that the police are also interested in reading the Grant Thornton report.