Detectives investigating cash-for-honours allegations involving The Prince’s Foundation will take no further action, the Met Police have said.
The Met launched an investigation 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.
The Met said the decision to take no further action followed advice from prosecutors and consideration of the information received to date, having interviewed ”a number of witnesses and reviewed in excess of 200 documents’.
It added that no arrests had been made and that ‘any new information or evidence’ that comes to light ‘that requires further assessment’ will be investigated by their Special Enquiry Team.
The case had focused on a letter first published in the Mail on Sunday in which Michael Fawcett, a long-time aide of the King and a former chief executive of the charity, offered to help a wealthy Saudi donor obtain a Knighthood and British citizenship in exchange for his ongoing generosity.
In the letter from 2017, Mr Fawcett reportedly wrote that he was willing to make an application to change businessman Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz’s honorary CBE to a knighthood, and support his application for citizenship.
The letter, written on headed notepaper in Mr 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.
Mr Mahfouz is reported to have donated large sums to restoration projects of particular interest to Charles. Mr Mahfouz is said to deny any wrongdoing.
Mr Fawcett resigned as chief executive of The Prince’s Foundation in the wake of the allegations.
Anti-monarchy group Republic made a formal complaint to Met detectives about Charles and Fawcett in September 2021, following the stories.
Scotland Yard said in a statement 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.
‘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 vc. Nobody has been arrested or charged during the course of this investigation.’
A spokesperson for The Prince’s Foundation said: ‘The Prince’s Foundation has noted the decision of the Metropolitan Police.
‘Following the conclusion of its own independent investigation and governance review last year, the charity is moving forward with a continued focus on delivering the education and training programmes for which it has been established.’
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