Prince Charles.
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- It is said that the Saudi billionaire Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz was promised royal honors and even British citizenship by Charles’ former closest aide Michael Fawcett.
- The probe will determine whether The trustees “have fulfilled their legal obligations and responsibilities as trustees in accordance with the Charity Law.”
- Fawcett resigned as chief executive of the Prince Foundation last week.
On Thursday, a regulator said it had conducted a formal investigation into donations received by the Saudi Tycoon Charitable Trust, which are intended to be used for Prince Charles’ foundation.
The Charity Commission, which is responsible for registering and supervising charities in England and Wales, said it has been in contact with the Mahfouz Foundation since the media reported in September.
It is said that Michael Fawcett, the former closest assistant of Prince Charles, promised royal honour and even British citizenship to the Saudi billionaire Mahfouz Mare Mubarak bin Mahfouz.
Fawcett resigned as chief executive of the Prince Foundation last week.
The investigation will examine “whether certain donations received by the Mahfouz Foundation have been used for charitable organizations, whether they have been used as intended by the donor, and whether they should be returned to the donor or otherwise used for charitable purposes”.
It will also seek to determine whether the trustee “has fulfilled its legal obligations and responsibilities as a trustee in accordance with the Charity Law.”
It added that the scope of the investigation could be expanded if necessary.
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According to the committee, the Mahfouz Foundation was established to “promote and advance the education of the British public in Middle Eastern culture, history, language, literature and institutions.”
The Prince Foundation was established in 1986 and is not regulated by the Charity Commission, but it is registered with the Scottish Charity Regulatory Agency.
The Scottish agency investigated reports in September that the foundation had accepted cash from a Russian banker who was previously convicted of money laundering.
According to reports, Charles wrote a letter thanking Dmitry Rice for his money and suggested that they can meet after the coronavirus pandemic.
Douglas Cornell, the chairman of the foundation, resigned, saying that “if serious misconduct seems likely to have occurred,” he should be blamed.
The foundation’s ethics committee rejected the donation after discovering that Leus was convicted in Russia in 2004.
The conviction was overturned and he claimed to be the victim of a politically motivated prosecution.
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