Prince Andrew named in FETÖ-linked fraud case in UK

LONDON

Britain’s Prince Andrew has been named in a trial over fraud involving a Turkish man and the wife of a man convicted of terrorism in Turkey.

The Duke of York received a hefty amount of money from a Turkish businessperson identified as Selman Türk, who was later accused of fraud by Nebahat İşbilen, according to court documents.

İşbilen is known as the wife of İlhan İşbilen, who was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for his role in the FETÖ, the group behind a coup attempt in 2016, while Türk is a relative of Adil Öksüz, a key figure in the attempted coup.

She alleges that Türk told her in 2019 that she had to offer a “gift” of 750,000 British Pounds (around $983,000) for Andrew’s help to obtain a U.K. passport.

According to British media, İşbilen wanted to move her assets out of Turkey after her husband was imprisoned, and Türk agreed, but İşbilen said later that he breached his obligations to her and accused him of “deceit.”

The court documents conclude that the purported passport offer was a ruse by Türk, according to British media.

The case has yet to come to trial, but preliminary rulings have been published by the judge, which revealed the involvement of Andrew and the Prince’s ex-wife Sarah.

Andrew is not himself accused of wrongdoing, but the allegations bring unwelcome new publicity after he settled a U.S. civil claim for sexual assault.

The British media outlets noted that Andrew has repaid the 750,000 British Pounds.

Sarah received at least 225,000 British Pounds in return for acting as a “brand ambassador” for one of Türk’s companies, according to the Daily Telegraph.

A spokesman for Sarah said she was “completely unaware of the allegations that have since emerged against Türk.”