Bafta trustees may have breached charity and company law by accepting free tickets for guests at the organisation’s awards ceremonies, the chair of its membership council has claimed.

Michael Pritchett told members at Bafta’s annual general meeting that legal advice obtained at his own expense suggested offences could have been committed by trustees who approved the charity’s accounts, which stated that no trustees had received remuneration or benefits.

“I did not go looking for what I found,” Pritchett said. “I found it doing the job that you gave me.”

He claimed trustees had received complimentary tickets for themselves and a guest at the film, television and games awards, potentially for as long as 20 years. The guest tickets were top-table seats, he said, with a second ticket at the film awards selling for £2,000.

Bafta’s governing document states that trustees may not receive remuneration or other benefits from the academy.…