Bermuda Post

Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024

King’s former aide received £60,000 payoff when he quit Prince’s Foundation

King’s former aide received £60,000 payoff when he quit Prince’s Foundation

Michael Fawcett resigned after revelations he offered to help Saudi donor obtain knighthood and British citizenship
A former aide to the King received a £60,000 payoff when he stepped down from the Prince’s Foundation amid a cash-for-honours scandal, it has emerged.

Michael Fawcett received the money after revelations that he offered to help a Saudi donor obtain a knighthood and British citizenship.

A police inquiry into the sale of honours under the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925 continues. Officers questioned two men under caution on 6 September, two days before the Queen died.

A statement from the Metropolitan police said the inquiry had progressed and that evidence had been handed to the Crown Prosecution Service on 31 October. No arrests have been made.

Accounts show that Fawcett, as “head of the provider”, was paid £59,582, including £21,923 holiday pay plus £877 in pension contributions.

The foundation also provided an additional £1,200 for “independent legal advice”.

Fawcett, Chris Martin, a senior fundraising executive, and Douglas Connell, the chair, stepped down from the charity based at Dumfries House, Ayrshire.

The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator is also investigating claims that a donation of hundreds of thousands of pounds appeared to go missing after being handed to middle men working with the charity.

The latest accounts confirm the King will remain president of the foundation despite ascending the throne.

They state: “During the financial year the foundation was subject of a number of press reports into fundraising practices at The Prince’s Foundation in relation to certain donations historically received by the charity. These reports included “cash for honours” questions, whereby certain donations were purportedly secured in return for access to the foundation’s president, and support from the foundation or related entities for donor nominations in relation to the UK honours system.

“Following these press reports the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator opened an investigation into the foundation and its governance.

‘‘Trustees are also aware that the Metropolitan Police are conducting an investigation into allegations of offences under the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925.

“The risks highlighted and considered include the potential for legal, regulatory, employee and reputational risks. The trustees accept the reputational risk arising from these events as probable.”

The Mail on Sunday published a letter last year from 2017 in which Fawcett reportedly wrote that he was willing to make an application to change businessman Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz’s honorary CBE to a KBE and support his application for citizenship.

The letter, written on headed notepaper in Fawcett’s then-capacity as chief executive of the Dumfries House Trust, said the applications would be made in response to “the most recent and anticipated support” of the trust. Mahfouz has denied any wrongdoing.

The following year, Dumfries House became part of The Prince’s Foundation, created through a merger of several of Charles’s charities, and Fawcett was appointed the chief executive.

Clarence House said in September 2021 that Charles had “no knowledge of the alleged offer of honours or British citizenship on the basis of donation to his charities” and insisted he was fully supportive of an investigation by The Prince’s Foundation.

The foundation told the Mail on Sunday: “We do not discuss individual staff salaries or payments.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Bermuda Post
0:00
0:00
Close
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Israel: Unprecedented Civil Disobedience Looms as IDF Reservists Protest Judiciary Reform
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
'I just lost it' Lowe’s worker fired after 13 years of employment for confronting thieves trying to steal $2K of merchandise
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Italian Court's Controversial Ruling on Sexual Harassment Ignites Uproar
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
×