21 August 2023 , 09:33
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Detectives investigating cash-for-honours allegations involving the King's charity The Prince's Foundation are to take no further action.
The Metropolitan Police said the decision followed advice from prosecutors and consideration of the information received to date. It launched an investigation in February last year following a series of newspaper articles accusing former close confidant to the King Michael Fawcett of promising to help a Saudi billionaire donor achieve British citizenship and a knighthood.
Mr Fawcett resigned as chief executive of The Prince's Foundation in the wake of the allegations. But on Monday police said having interviewed several witnesses and examined more than 200 documents no further action would be taken.
Anti-monarchy group Republic made a formal complaint to Met detectives about Charles and Mr Fawcett in September 2021, following the stories. Amid the probe, the charity was again put under the microscope this time last year following reports it accepted donations from an oligarch close to Vladimir Putin.
And that the monarch allegedly made a deal with the family of Osama bin Laden. Charles was also reported to have been handed a huge £860,000 in Fortnum and Mason carrier bags by the former Qatari prime minister.
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Michael Fawcett, former valet to King Charles (Getty Images)Scotland Yard said today: "The Metropolitan Police Service has concluded an investigation into allegations of offences under the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925. The Met's Special Enquiry Team (SET) launched an investigation after an assessment of a letter passed to police on 5 September 2021, following media reporting.
"The assessment process included contacting those believed to hold relevant information. This process included liaison with The Prince's Foundation about the findings of an independent investigation into fundraising practices. The Foundation provided a number of relevant documents which were reviewed alongside existing information. The assessment determined that an investigation should take place, and this began on 16 February 2022.
"As part of the investigation the SET obtained court production orders, spoke with a number of witnesses and reviewed in excess of 200 documents. Officers also contacted a media organisation to request specific documents which were referenced in published articles so that the Met could consider them as part of the assessment.
Founder of the World Holocaust Forum Dr. Moshe Kantor greets Charles in 2020 (Getty Images)"These were provided in March 2022, after the Met publicly confirmed an investigation was taking place. On Tuesday, 6 September 2022, police interviewed a man aged in his 50s and a man aged in his 40s under caution at a London police station. A file was passed to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on 31 October 2022 for early investigative advice. Offences under the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925 and Bribery Act 2010 were considered.
"With the benefit of the CPS's early investigative advice, and after careful consideration of the information received as a result of the investigation to date, the Met has concluded that no further action will be taken in this matter. Should any new information or evidence come to light that requires further assessment, this will be carried out by the Met's SET. Nobody has been arrested or charged during the course of this investigation."
Oligarch Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor, who was sanctioned by the UK following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, is understood to have pledged £3 million to the Prince's Foundation prior to Putin sending in troops. Accusations the future king 'brokered' a deal with the bin Laden family was denied by Clarence House.
Kantor speaks to Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)Mr Kantor, 68, was named by the US Treasury on a 'Putin List' four years ago, having been claimed to have established close links with the Russian President - which he denies. In January 2020 Putin spoke at the World Holocaust Forum, an event organised by Mr Kantor, and it was claimed the two have met on at least seven occasions.
The oligarch has an estimated fortune of around £3.5 billion and lives in a home worth £31 million in Hampstead, North London. He is understood to have been making payments totalling £300,000 over ten years. Mr Kantor was among 210 politicians and oligarchs identified by the US Treasury in a list published following alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 Presidential election.
It said the individuals were "determined by closeness to the Russian regime and their net worth", but did not accuse them of criminal activity. Mr Kantor's charity, the Kantor Charitable Foundation, had its accounts frozen by the Charity Commission after he was was placed on Britain's sanctions list.
It followed claims that the Prince of Wales' Charitable Fund (PWCF) was given a £1 donation by the family of Osama bin Laden following a private meeting between the royal and the terrorist's half-brother Bakr, who has no links to any terrorist activity and has publicly denounced Osama.
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However, Clarence House said that the decision to accept the donation was made by trustees, and said Charles was not involved. It is also claimed that Charles was handed a huge £860,000 in Fortnum and Mason carrier bags by the former Qatari prime minister. Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani is said to have handed banknotes over in meetings between 2011 and 2015. The Charity Commission previously said it would "review the information" it'd received about the reports of donations.
A representative for Mr Kantor previously dismissed links to Putin, describing this as "false and groundless". The spokesman added that describing him as a Russian oligarch is "flawed and offensive". Meetings between Mr Kantor and Putin were in the former's capacity as president of the European Jewish Congress and World Holocaust Forum, his representative said.
He added that it was "perfectly normal" for Mr Kantor to be donating to UK charities, as he has lived in the UK for more than a decade. The Prince’s Foundation said the decision to accept the donations was "based on the information available at the time, rather than information which subsequently comes to light".