The Duke of York, who has already been embroiled in controversy after settling a US sexual harassment case for up to 12 million pounds, is named along with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, in a decision for a dispute between a Turk and a businessman. In 2019, Andrew received .000 750,000 from Nebahat Isbilen, a Turkish millionaire and the wife of a former top politician, who claimed in the Supreme Court that she was told by Selman Turk’s financial adviser to pay the prince in exchange for help. with a passport application. Turk was the founder and CEO of Heyman AI, a controversial digital bank that, nine days before the payment, received an award from Andrew at a Pitch @ Palace event – a Dragons’ Den business venture created by the Duke. Isbilen’s lawsuit against Andrew has led to the disclosure of further payments of up to .000 350,000 to the Duke by a company called Alphabet, which is described by lawyers as a “fraudulent and hidden front” for making payments to those “associated” with him. Turk. Ferguson also received payments of at least 22 225,000 from Turk through Alphabet Capital, which are said to be related to the payment it owes for its work in a solar energy company. There is no indication in the court documents of any wrongdoing by the prince or Ferguson. Andrew declined to comment, while Ferguson’s spokesman said he was unaware of the allegations against Turk. Andrew repaid 750 750,000 16 about 16 months after receiving it and it remains unclear whether he knew the money flowing into his personal bank account or for what purpose. Graham Smith, the republic’s chief executive, who is seeking the dissolution of the monarchy, said Andrew must be clear about why he thought he had been paid. “Clearly, it raises a lot of questions about what was going on, what was the relationship between this person at Pitch @ Palace and Andrew,” he said. “It is not credible that he did not know and did not know that he was paid. So why didn’t he ask questions right away and pay for it? “She must be absolutely clear and honest about what exactly was going on.” Pitch @ Palace featured entrepreneurs presenting positions that lasted no more than three minutes in a room at St James’s Palace full of “CEOs, influencers, angels, mentors and business partners.” In 2019, Turk’s company, Heyman AI, won the People’s Choice Award, which is voted on by the public. The company collapsed about 18 months later. In her testimony in court, which was translated from Turkish and seen by the Guardian, Isbilen, 77, said that Turk invited her to the event and attended. “I can only wonder if there is a connection between this event and the transfer of the Duke of York,” he said. A document of “special claims” in the case against Turk, which the Guardian saw, says: Duke of York. as payment for the assistance that the High Commissioner of York told her that he had provided in connection with Mrs. Isbilen’s Turkish passport “. The document claims that the passport proposal was a ploy. He continues: “The statement that Mrs Isbilen needed to make a gift to the Duke of York in relation to her passport (or for any other purpose) was false, and Mr Turk made it dishonest, knowing that it was false and intended Mrs. Isbilen. to rely on it “. In the verdict, Judge Halpern QC said that a lawyer representing Isbilen said in an affidavit that information emerged that showed that the information provided by Turk was “misleading”. He said his lawyer, Jonathan Tickner, had told him how the evidence showed that “they were used for purposes unrelated to Mrs Isbilen, e.g. significant sums were paid to Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and to Sarah, Duchess of York. “ The claim is part of a wider ongoing case against Turk, and various related companies, in the Supreme Court for the return of about 40 million pounds. Isbilen said she had trusted Turk as her financial adviser. He claimed that he was escaping political persecution in Turkey. Her husband, a former deputy leader of the ruling AK Party, was jailed in 2015 following a coup attempt in Turkey. Ferguson’s case is that she received the funds from the Turkish company after taking on a debt owed to her by Pegasus, a solar energy company, which had to pay her for her role as the company’s ambassador. Her spokeswoman said: “The Duchess was completely unaware of the allegations made against Mr Turk since then. “Of course he is worried about what has been accused against him.” A spokesman for Andrew said: “We are not in a position to comment on the current legal proceedings.” The Guardian approached Turk for comment. Another court document, dated April 2021, states that Turk disputes Isbilen’s allegations: “Many of what has happened are the result of Mrs Isbilen’s status as a politically exposed person and the consequent difficulty in managing her assets.” The revelations come after the prince settled a sexual assault case filed against him by Virginia Giuffre for an unspecified amount, reportedly amounting to 12 million pounds. The out-of-court settlement in the US civil case means that the prince does not admit his guilt for Giuffre’s allegations that he was sexually assaulted on three occasions when she was 17, allegations he has repeatedly denied. On Tuesday, Andrew made a public appearance after the settlement, alongside the Queen’s mother, in a memorial service for his father, Prince Philip.
