Sarah Ferguson has no plans to hand back £225,000 as it was a fee for her work as ‘brand ambassador’

Sarah Ferguson has no plans to hand back £225,000 as it was a fee for her work as ‘brand ambassador’ for green energy firm, sources say

  • Sarah got the payment from Selman Turk’s company Alphabet Capital Ltd, which the High Court heard was a fraudulent front for ‘apparent money laundering’
  • The £225,000 was apparently her fee for work, but was offered in instalments
  • Insiders say she knew Turk ‘through the duke’ and regarded him as a ‘perfectly bona fide’ banker, and was ‘completely unaware of the allegations against him 

The Duchess of York does not plan to repay the £225,000 she received from the company of Selman Turk whom she regarded as a ‘perfectly bona fide banker’, it is understood.

Sarah got the payment from Alphabet Capital Ltd, which the High Court heard was a fraudulent front for ‘apparent money laundering’.

In legal documents before the court, Turk is claimed to be a conman who set up Alphabet to move dirty money around the world.

He denies the allegations.

The Duchess of York does not plan to repay the £225,000 she received from the company of Selman Turk whom she regarded as a ‘perfectly bona fide banker’, it is understood. Pictured left next to ex-husband Prince Andrew, Duke of York in 2019

The Duchess has not issued any statement about the money she received but sources close to her have offered an explanation.

They say it relates to her work as a ‘brand ambassador’ for US green energy company Pegasus Group Holdings.

The £225,000 was apparently her fee for work, but was offered in instalments rather than a single payment.

Turk was ‘suggested as someone who would take on the debt and pay the duchess’ in full, with Pegasus then paying him in instalments.

Selman Turk alongside gun smuggler Tarek Kaituni during a visit to what appears to be Frogmore House, the royal residence in Windsor Great Park, in February 2020

Selman Turk alongside gun smuggler Tarek Kaituni during a visit to what appears to be Frogmore House, the royal residence in Windsor Great Park, in February 2020

Insiders say she knew Turk ‘through the duke’ and regarded him as a banker and ‘a perfectly bona fide person to deal with’.

A spokesman for Sarah said: ‘The duchess was completely unaware of the allegations that have since emerged against Mr Turk.

She is naturally concerned by what has been alleged against him.’

Pegasus was unavailable for comment.

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