Operations chief charged with defrauding UK think tank

LONDON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - British police have charged the former chief operating officer of the International Centre for Financial Regulation (ICFR) of defrauding the regulatory think tank that went bust in 2012.

The City of London police said on Wednesday that 54-year old Charles Taylor (LSE: CTR.L - news) from Berkshire had been charged with fraud by abuse of position in relation to the internal theft of nearly 600,000 pounds ($983,900), and false accounting.

"Taylor is due to appear at City of London Magistrates' Court on January 21," the police said in a statement.

The ICFR was set up by the UK Treasury and about 20 big banks in 2008 to research financial regulation.

Taylor could not be immediately contacted.

($1 = 0.6098 British pounds) (Reporting by Huw Jones; Editing by Mark Potter)