Qatari chief 'deleted emails with Prince Charles views'

A property boss lied about the collapse of the Chelsea Barracks project to protect the Emir of Qatar, the High Court heard.

Lawyers claimed an executive in the firm Qatari Diar deliberately deleted emails revealing Prince Charles's influence on the collapse of the scheme.
John Ward, chief operating officer, was accused of hiding the evidence when Qatari Diar decided to withdraw the modernist planning application for the £3 billion scheme.

Lawyers for the Qataris' former development partner, Christian Candy, of CPC Group, who is suing for breach of contract, said key emails were finally disclosed only on Friday night.

Lord Grabiner QC said: "What it comes to, I'm afraid, is simply this: all these witnesses [from Qatari Diar] lied to your lordship when they gave evidence." They had been trying to protect the Emir from having to pay £81 million to CPC, he said. All but five of Mr Ward's emails that had been deleted but later recovered included references to the Prince of Wales or Sir Michael Peat, his private secretary, Lord Grabiner added.

Lord Grabiner accused Mr Ward of being "disingenuous" in saying the deletions were not deliberate. "It looks on the face of it that whenever he [Ward] spotted a reference to the Prince of Wales he deleted the emails."

Joe Smouha QC, for Qatari Diar, said it was "entirely unjustified" to claim the emails had been deliberately deleted.

Qatari Diar claims it withdrew a glass and steel planning application for the Chelsea Barracks site because Mayor Boris Johnson had indicated he would oppose it, not because Prince Charles told the Emir he disliked it.

If Mr Justice Vos concludes the Prince's involvement was the main factor CPC will be entitled to £81 million. A judgment is expected this month.