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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Dave Burke

Prince Charles charity 'accepts £3million pledge from billionaire Russian oligarch'

Prince Charles ' charity is yet again under the microscope amid reports it accepted donations from an oligarch close to Vladimir Putin.

Moshe Kantor, who was sanctioned by the UK following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, is understood to have pledged £3 million to the Prince's Foundation prior to the invasion.

It comes on the back of allegations that the future king 'brokered' a deal with the family of Osama bin Laden, although Clarence House denies this.

Mr Kantor, 68, was named by the US Treasury on a 'Putin List' four years ago, having been claimed to have established close links with the Russian President - which he denies.

In January 2020 Putin spoke at the World Holocaust Forum, an event organised by Mr Kantor, and The Daily Mail reports the two have met on at least seven occasions.

Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor speaking to Vladimir Putin in July 2016 (Getty Images)

Mr Kantor has an estimated fortune of around £3.5 billion and lives in a home worth £31 million in Hampstead, North London.

He is understood to have been making payments totalling £300,000 over ten years.

Mr Kantor was among 210 politicians and oligarchs identified by the US Treasury in a list published following alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 Presidential election.

It said the individuals were "determined by closeness to the Russian regime and their net worth", but did not accuse them of criminal activity.

Mr Kantor's charity, the Kantor Charitable Foundation, had its accounts frozen by the Charity Commission after he was was placed on Britain's sanctions list.

It is the latest in a string of allegations about financial dealings at charities linked to the Prince of Wales.

It follows claims that the Prince of Wales' Charitable Fund (PWCF) was given a £1 donation by the family of Osama bin Laden following a private meeting between the royal and the terrorist's half-brother Bakr, who has no links to any terrorist activity and has publicly denounced Osama.

However Clarence House said that the decision to accept the donation was made by trustees, and said Charles was not involved.

It is also claimed that Charles was handed a huge £860,000 in Fortnum and Mason carrier bags by the former Qatari prime minister.

Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani is said to have handed banknotes over in meetings between 2011 and 2015.

The Charity Commission said it will "review the information" they've received about the reports of donations.

Clarence House said Prince Charles was not involved in the decision to accept a donation from Mr Kantor (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Elsewhere the Prince could face questioning by police over allegations that his closest aide offered a knighthood and British citizenship to a Saudi billionaire in exchange for donations to the foundation.

Charles' aides say he had no knowledge of the alleged deal.

Former Lib Dem minister Norman Baker told The Mail: "The Prince’s Foundation has a long history of accepting money from unsavoury characters. It now turns out that you add to the list an oligarch with ties to Vladimir Putin.

"Either the Prince’s Foundation failed to carry out due diligence or it simply doesn’t care."

A representative for Mr Kantor dismissed links to Putin, describing this as "false and groundless" to The Mail.

The spokesman added that describing him as a Russian oligarch is "flawed and offensive".

Meetings between Mr Kantor and Putin were in the former's capacity as president of the European Jewish Congress and World Holocaust Forum, his representative said.

He added that it was "perfectly normal" for Mr Kantor to be donating to UK charities, as he has lived in the UK for more than a decade.

Clarence House declined to comment.

The Prince’s Foundation told The Mail that the decision to accept the donations was "based on the information available at the time, rather than information which subsequently comes to light".

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