Fraud case probes Prince Andrew’s house sale
Denial: the Palace said Prince Andrew would not be called as a witness
12 April 2012
The sale of Prince Andrew's former home for £3 million over the asking price is set to be re-examined in the High Court.
Today Buckingham Palace said there was "no prospect" of the prince being called as a witness in a case involving a multi-millionaire accused of fraud.
Mukhtar Ablyazov, 47, claims the estate near Ascot was bought for £15 million in 2007 as a front to launder money.
He says his rival, billionaire Timur Kulibayev, illegally used money from the sale of a £110 million stake in the former Soviet state's oil and gas company.
The allegation is to be aired in Mr Ablyazov's High Court case in which he is accused of a multi-billion-pound fraud. There is no suggestion that Andrew knew the source of the funds in his house sale.
