Prince Andrew has got embroiled in yet another controversy this time this time for accepting money from a fraudster. According to reports, Prince Andrew is embroiled in a High Court legal battle after receiving more than £750,000 million from a Turkish millionairess, Nebahat Isbilen.
The Duke of York received more than £1 million from a fraudster. Isbilen, 77, believes that the alleged fraudster was acting as a middleman and she was allegedly tricked into giving Prince Andrew the money "by way of payment for assistance" with her passport, a court heard. This is the latest controversy to hit Andrew after he almost lost all his fortune and royal titles following his links with pedophile Jeffery Epstein.
Another Controversy
Isbilen has since been repaid the cash by the Duke of York but she claims to have been hoodwinked by the middleman. According to the Daily Telegraph, the money was paid to Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson on behalf of Selman Turk, a former Goldman Sachs banker who is being pursued by Isbilen.
Isbilen was told by Turk that she was making the payment for help in getting a new passport to escape to escape political persecution. According to court filings, Turk received a £750,000 "gift" from the Duke just days after winning an award at the Duke's Dragons Den-style competition, Pitch@Palace, held at St James's Palace.
An additional £350,000 payment to Prince Andrew was made through a third-party account linked to Turk, which also gave £225,000 to his ex-wife.
On Thursday night, Andrew gave no explanation about the mystery surrounding the £750,000 or how he became involved.
The case has been filed Isbilen, the rich wife of a Turkish MP imprisoned in their country in what was alleged to be a politically motivated detention. She relocated to the UK and entrusted her vast fortune – estimated to be worth $87 million (£66 million) – to Turk, a London-based Turkish businessman and former banker, who was tasked with keeping her wealth out of the hands of their political opponents in Turkey, according to the court.
However, her deal with Turk, 35, went sour, and she is now suing him. According to the High Court, she alleges Turk "dishonestly misappropriated" around $50 million (£38 million) of her money.
No fault of Andrew
This time, however, it seems Andrew was not at fault because he unknowingly took the money. The case is still ongoing and preliminary hearings, it was alleged that substantial sums were paid to the Duke and Duchess of York.
A spokesman for the Duchess of York said: "The Duchess was completely unaware of the allegations that have since emerged against Mr Turk. She is naturally concerned by what has been alleged against him."
Turk, however, has denied the allegations. David Halpern QC, sitting as a deputy High Court judge, granted a search of his premises earlier this month, saying there was a "strong prima facie case" for "a major fraud".
The new controversy related to the fraud involving Isbilen, who claims to eb duped by Turk, comes only a month after Andrew settled an alleged rape case against him in the American courts.
In February, he allegedly paid his accuser Virginia Roberts up to £12 million. He has consistently refuted the accusations. The Queen is said to have aided in the settlement of the duke's civil lawsuit by donating to his accuser's organization in support of victims' rights. Since then, the duke has fought to maintain his place in royal life, most recently by accompanying the Queen to Prince Philip's funeral service this week.
Also, Andrew paid off a £6.7 million debt to a French socialite who sold him his luxurious Swiss ski home in January. Isabelle de Rouvre had sued the Duke of York for the millions owing for Chalet Helora in the prestigious Verbier resort by he and his ex-wife Sarah.
"He has paid the money," she had stated at the start of this year, and she discontinued the legal proceedings. Andrew was able to sell the chalet as a result of this.
