Police quiz two men in Charles ‘cash for honours’ probe
POLICE yesterday stepped up their ‘cash for honours’ criminal probe into a charity linked to King Charles.
Scotland Yard announced that two men have been interviewed under caution.
The development intensifies pressure on 73-year-old Charles just days after he acceded to the throne.
The Metropolitan Police has been investigating claims made a year ago that his former right-hand man Michael Fawcett helped secure an honour for a Saudi tycoon. The latest move raises the prospect of a constitutional crisis if the King is dragged into the investigation, given that the police and criminal justice system operate in the name of the monarch.
Scotland Yard said the interviews with the two men under caution took place on September 6 ‘in relation to offences under the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925’. They added: ‘The investigation remains ongoing and we will not be providing a running commentary on its progress. No arrests were made.’
Buckingham Palace refused to say whether detectives have made any approaches to Charles, and declined to make any comment about the case.
A spokesman for the King has said he had no knowledge of the alleged offer of honours on the basis of donations.
It is a year since former royal valet Mr Fawcett, 59, was forced to quit as chief executive of The Prince’s Foundation amid claims he helped to ‘fix’ a CBE for Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz, 52, who donated more than £1.5million to royal causes. He was honoured by Charles at Buckingham Palace after pledging large sums to help restore royal residences close to the monarch’s heart. In a letter to an aide of Mahfouz, Mr Fawcett wrote in August 2017: ‘In light of the ongoing and most recent generosity of His Excellency, Sheikh Marei Mubarak Mahfouz bin Mahfouz, I am happy to confirm to you, in confidence, that we are willing and happy to support and contribute to the application for Citiprospect zenship.’ Scotland Yard’s special enquiry team began examining the allegations after they appeared in The Sunday Times last September. In February, it launched a full investigation into potential offences committed under the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925 - raising the of Charles being interviewed by the police.
In August, it emerged that Mr Fawcett had still not been interviewed. His wife Debbie said: ‘My husband... will fully co-operate with the police.’
A rule known as ‘Sovereign Immunity’ means the Crown Prosecution Service cannot pursue the head of state. However anti-monarchy campaign group Republic has argued that Parliament could bypass this rule and bring its own prosecution – as it did with Charles I, who was beheaded in 1649 – if police felt evidence led back to the King.
There is nothing to suggest detectives are seeking to speak to Charles or suspect him of any wrongdoing.
Mr Fawcett allegedly coordinated the honours application process for the Saudi tycoon and helped ‘upgrade’ the proposed gong from an OBE, according to leaked emails. When the allegations emerged last year, the ex-valet was forced to quit the Prince’s Foundation, one of Charles’s flagship charities.
‘Pledging large sums of money’