Andrew can be called to give evidence in High Court fraud trial
The High Court trial involves allegations of fraud made by a wealthy Turkish woman against her former adviser.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor can be called to give evidence in a High Court fraud trial, a judge has ruled.
Nebahat Isbilen, a Turkish national, says Selman Turk, her former adviser, misled her about a £750,000 payment made to Mountbatten-Windsor in 2019.
The judge agreed to let Turk, who denies dishonesty, seek to call evidence from Mountbatten-Windsor in a London trial expected to start in November.
Mountbatten-Windsor repaid the money, and there was no allegation of wrongdoing by the former Duke of York.
Before the trial, Turk applied to be allowed to call Mountbatten-Windsor to give evidence.
In a ruling on Friday, Justice Adam Johnson agreed, permitting Turk to rely on a witness summary and seek to call evidence from the former duke.
Johnson said: "Given the seriousness of the allegations, both on their own terms and in light of their wider impact, fairness requires that Mr Turk should be afforded an opportunity of putting forward his own case, using the evidence he considers relevant and material."
The judge later said his decision meant Turk could call evidence from the former duke, but that a witness summons "will likely" be needed to compel Mountbatten-Windsor to give evidence.
Johnson added: "It is highly unlikely that a person in the position of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor would wish voluntarily to provide a witness statement and give evidence at a trial in public proceedings involving payments made by the wife of a person said to be a political prisoner in Turkey, in connection with a dispute about the reason the payments were made."
Isbilen, who was 77 in 2022, comes from a wealthy family, but when her politician husband was jailed she wanted help moving her assets out of Turkey.
Lawyers for Isbilen previously told the court that tens of millions of her funds had been misappropriated, with Turk failing to explain where the money had gone.
In Friday's ruling, Johnson said it "has long been Mr Turk's case" that the £750,000 payment was made of Isbilen's own accord because she believed Mountbatten-Windsor could help with her husband.