- guardian.co.uk, Sunday March 2 2003 01.28 GMT
- The Observer, Sunday March 2 2003
Cem Uzan, whose family has been accused of racketeering and fraud, donated nearly £400,000 to the Prince's charities, and was rewarded by invitations to Highgrove and Buckingham Palace for dinners with Charles and Camilla.
Uzan was given a 15-month prison sentence last December for failing to attend the High Court in London to face allegations that he failed to repay £2 billion of loans from mobile phone companies Motorola and Nokia. He is now understood to be in Istanbul with no plans to return to London for fear of arrest.
The revelation of his presence at the dinners will be examined by Sir Michael Peat, who is heading an inquiry into the selling of official gifts, a concern which was raised during the trial of the former royal butler Paul Burrell.
In June 2000, Uzan's wife Alara sat next to the Prince of Wales at a dinner to celebrate the setting up of the Prince's Foundation, the charity set up by the Prince to help promote architecture, urban design and design.
The entrepreneur, said to have a history of controversial deals in Turkey, agreed to give £200,000 in four annual instalments, although he only made two payments.
This was allegedly at the suggestion of Bell Pottinger, his public relations adviser, who had been asked to introduce him to the "movers and shakers" of British society.
But he gave an additional £300,000 in 2000 and 2001, apparently granting him access to peers and tycoons familiar to Highgrove. In June 2001, the Uzans again joined Charles and Camilla for dinner, meeting at Buckingham Palace and then at Highgrove.
Last night a palace spokesman said that Sir Michael would examine the circumstances surrounding Uzan's gift.
