London – Chinese businessman with links to British royal disgrace Prince AndrewThe Duke of York, has lost an appeal against a decision in 2023 to ban him from the United Kingdom for national security concerns.
The man, who has not been named in published court documents, had ties to the Chinese government and was close enough to Andy to be invited to his birthday party in 2020, according to the Appeals Commission judgment. -Special UK migration.
“I also hope it is clear to you where you sit with my principal and indeed his family,” said a letter sent by Andrew's top aide, Dominic Hampshire, to the man, according to the court judgment, which was published online. “You should never underestimate the power of that relationship. Outside of his closest confidants, you are sitting at the very top of a tree that many people would love to be.”
The letter from the Duke's support also said: “We are judicious in our approach to former Private Secretaries and have found a way to carefully remove those people we do not fully trust. Under your guidance, we found a way to get the relevant unconscious people in and out of the house in Windsor.”
Hampshire wrote in another letter to the man that he had the power to act on Andy's behalf in relation to potential partners and investors in China for an international financial venture.
“It was assessed that this demonstrated that the applicant was able to create relationships between high-ranking Chinese officials and prominent figures in the UK which could be used by the Chinese State for the purposes of political interference,” the UK judgment said on Thursday, adding to which the man had not given a full account of his relationship with Andrew to the authorities, which they said was a “hidden and secret” element in it.
The judgment also said that the unnamed businessman had concealed links to organizations associated with the United Front system of the Chinese Communist Party, which seeks to gain influence and information for the benefit of the Chinese government.
The man had texts and other documents on his phone showing links to the United Front system, including one text in which he identified himself as an overseas delegate at the Co -Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a political advisory body at the heart of the system.
The judgment found that the man had “earned a considerable, one might say unusual level of trust from a senior member of the royal family who was willing to engage in business activities with him.”
The judgment said that Andrew had been under great pressure during his close relationship with the man, and that it was “obvious that the pressures of the Duke could be vulnerable to the misuse of such influence.”
Prince Andrew was he removed his military ties and royal patronage in 2022 following a lawsuit that claimed he sexually abused Virginia Giuffre when she was 17.
The judgment comes amid growing concerns about China's influence abroad. In comments in 2021, the head of Britain's MI6 intelligence agency, which is similar to the CIA in the United States, called China the “one of the biggest priorities” for UK intelligence services.
When contacted by CBS News partner network BBC News about the story, Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
