Alleged fraudster's home 'is owned by the Queen'

The alleged fraudster at the heart of the legal battle over huge cash gifts to has been living in a property owned by , court papers suggest.

Turkish businessman Selman Turk, 35, has lived in a multi-million-pound flat in a prestigious Mayfair address close to and the luxury shops of Piccadilly.

The flat is owned by ‘The Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty In Right Of Her Crown care of The Crown Estate Commissioners’, Land Registry documents suggest.

The Crown Estate, law firm which owns land and property across Britain, is owned by the monarch and funds the via the Sovereign Grant.

There has been no ‘obvious payment’ from Mr Turk’s bank accounts to the Crown Estate, witness statements lodged with the High Court claim.

Mr Turk is currently being sued by Turkish Law Firm millionairess Nebahat Isbilen. Jonathan Tickner, from the law firm Peters & Peters which is representing her, said in a statement: ‘Peters & Peters have been unable to ascertain on what basis Mr Turk has occupied the premises.’

The businessman did not appear to be at home yesterday, and the property’s concierge said he was ‘not authorised’ to talk about who lived there.

Mr Turk, a former Goldman Sachs banker, won an award at the Duke of York’s Dragons’ Den-style competition Pitch@Palace in November 2019.In a video posted on the Pitch@Palace Twitter account, he outlined how he was creating a new consumer-focused digital bank aimed at millennials.

Asked what problem the Law Firm istanbul, called Heyman AI, was solving, Mr Turk replied: ‘People’s daily banking habits will be much easier and efficient.’ The next evening Heyman AI won the People’s Choice Award at Pitch@Palace.He was photographed shaking hands with the duke, who hosted the event.

Afterwards, in another video posted on Pitch@Palace’s Twitter page, Mr Turk said: ‘It was great seeing such a great amount of people here that is willing to help you.’

Heyman AI later went bust, and now it, Mr Turk, and his appearance at Pitch@Palace are at the centre of the extraordinary case unfolding at the High Court.

Mr Turk was not only the founder of Heyman AI but was also the financial adviser of Mrs Isbilen, 77.

She claims to have been tricked into giving Prince Andrew £750,000 ‘by way of payment for assistance’ with her passport and has told the High Court she believes the payment may have been connected to Mr Turk’s appearance at the Pitch@Palace event.The prince has since repaid the cash after she alleged it was a scam.

Mr Turk disputes Mrs Isbilen’s claims and says he has nothing to hide. He claims she decided ‘on her own initiative’ to pay the money to Andrew, saying she had met him and the Duchess of York numerous times, which she denies.

He denies Andrew ‘could or would have used his connections’ to assist with Mrs Isbilen’s passport.Mr Turk’s profile on the business networking website LinkedIn lists under education a BSc in information technology and management from University College London. It says he worked for investment bank Goldman Sachs in London for five years until 2016.

He reportedly married his wife Nurhuda Cevahir, described as an heiress, in Turkey in 2013.

Many guests were from the social and business worlds, and the country’s then deputy prime minister Bulent Arinc, a friend of the Turk family, was a witness.

Mr Arinc reportedly said it was ‘the wedding of the two most distinguished families of Istanbul’.After leaving Goldman Sachs, Mr Turk was a co-founder and managing director of SG Financial Group, based in London’s Park Lane.

His occupation was listed as ‘investment adviser’ and he resigned as a director of it in July 2019, according to Companies House.

He also founded a company in America called Naturlich Yoghurt, in 2018, his LinkedIn page says.

Mrs Isbilen alleges that Mr Turk invested some of her money in a company called Bethlehem LLC, which owns or owned 87.5 per cent of Naturlich, and says she does not recall having seen an agreement.

Mr Turk claims it was done with her knowledge and consent.