A Melbourne man who was awarded an Order of Australia for services to the Macedonian community has been charged with serious drugs offences and is being pursued over millions of dollars missing from a charity he helped found.

Key points: The 76-year-old is being pursued over $3.5 million missing from a charity he co-founded

The 76-year-old is being pursued over $3.5 million missing from a charity he co-founded The charity was placed into liquidation over unpaid debts

The charity was placed into liquidation over unpaid debts Trajkov is also facing charges of cultivating a commercial quantity of cannabis

Boris Trajkov, a former SBS radio journalist who was monitored by ASIO in the 1960s and 70s due to his close relationship with Yugoslav diplomats, was arrested in January for allegedly cultivating a commercial quantity of cannabis. He is also alleged to have stolen electricity while on bail.

It emerged today that Mr Trajkov is facing further, unrelated charges, including obtaining property by deception and using false documents to try and apply for credit cards, dating from August last year.

Court documents obtained by the ABC also reveal that Trajkov, 76, is being pursued in court over $3.5 million missing from a charity he co-founded and operated for more than two decades.

The charity, the Victorian Multiethnic Slavic Welfare Association, operated a volunteer outreach service for elderly migrants from the former Yugoslavia until it was placed into liquidation over unpaid debts.

The association also operated a childcare centre in the suburb of Lalor, in Melbourne's north.

In a writ filed in the County Court of Victoria in December last year, the association's liquidators alleged Trajkov failed to account for more than $2.5 million in fees paid to the association in cash by parents for childcare services.

They also alleged Trajkov had not explained a further $700,000 in expenses and cash withdrawn from the association, as well as $190,000 transferred from the association's bank account to an account held by his wife, Slobodanka Trajkova.

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The association has since been re-established under new management.

On Monday, Ms Trajkova was in court as her husband appeared via video link on several unrelated driving offences.

The court heard that on two occasions Trajkov had given police a different name when questioned about his driving.

As she left court, Ms Trajkova said she knew nothing about the allegations of financial impropriety against her husband.

"I have nothing to say, I know nothing about it," Ms Trajkova said.

No explanation for missing cash

The liquidator of the Victorian Multiethnic Slavic Welfare Association, David Vasudevan from Pitcher Partners, said Trajkov had not provided an explanation for what had happened to the charity's missing money.

Trajkov denied misappropriating any of the association's money. ( Supplied: Sasha Uzunov )

"At the moment we are trying to find out where the money went and in the absence of a proper explanation we are demanding compensation," Mr Vasudevan said.

"We have alleged that because Mr Trajkov had access to the cash, and also had paid those expenses, he should account to us about where those funds have gone and who the ultimate beneficiaries are.

"In the absence of that then we have alleged that the ultimate beneficiary would have been Mr Trajkov."

In January the ABC spoke briefly to Trajkov and he denied misappropriating any of the association's money.

He said that all funds had been invested in the childcare centre.

However, the ABC has confirmed that since 2013 until its closure, the Lalor childcare centre was under review by the Education Department for breaching the child/educator quotas and for failing to have a responsible person on duty.

The childcare centre has since been refurbished and reopened by new owners.

Interest from ASIO over spy concerns

The 1969 ASIO file describes Trajkov as a non-worker. ( Supplied )

Trajkov migrated to Australia with his wife in 1967 and quickly came to the attention of ASIO.

A year after arriving in Melbourne, a special branch memo included in Mr Trajkov's ASIO file claimed that illegal gambling was taking place in his cafe.

Trajkov migrated to Australia with his wife in 1967. ( Supplied: Sasha Uzunov )

In 1969 a Victoria Police memo noted that Trajkov's cafe was "frequented by thieves, rogues etc" and stated that "[Trajkov] is a non-worker and encourages persons of disrepute in his establishment".

Trajkov's interest in the restaurant business continued, however.

Most recently he was the silent owner of the New Europe restaurant in Preston in Melbourne's north which often played host to touring singers from Macedonia.

In October 2015 two members of the Comancheros motorcycle gang fired bullets into the ceiling of the restaurant, and last year it was gutted by a fire which was deemed to be non-suspicious.

Trajkov was awarded an Order of Australia in the Queen's Birthday honours list in 1991 "for services to the Macedonian and other communities".

The Governor-General can terminate a person's appointment if they are found guilty of a crime or if they are deemed to have brought the order into disrepute.

Trajkov is due to face court on the drugs charges in April.