The Refugee Council has defended its decision to accept a €10m donation from a trust fund reportedly linked to an allegedly disgraced former king of Spain.
It was notified of a €10m (£8.8m) donation through a trust fund administered by former University of Oxford professor Joaquín Romero Maura, along with his entire estate, after his death last June and decided to accept the gift after a “robust due diligence process”.
The money from the trust will be donated in regular instalments to the charity. The value of Romero Maura’s estate is unknown but includes properties in the UK and France, the charity said.
Spanish newspaper El País reported last week that the donation mostly came from the JRM 2004 Trust, based on the island of Jersey, and allegedly linked to former King Juan Carlos I, who abdicated in 2014 amid spending scandals.
According to a report in the Telegraph in 2021, the fund was set up in the 1990s by a close aide of then King Juan Carlos, Manuel Prado y Colón de Carvajal, who was later jailed for embezzlement.
Romero Maura was named as a fund trustee and became its sole administrator after the death of Prado y Colón de Carvajal in 2009, the newspaper said.
Meanwhile, Juan Carlos I is currently visiting the UK and is reportedly due to meet King Charles III, a distant relative, for a “private lunch”.
Charity ‘thrilled’ with gift
Refugee Council said it followed the Charity Commission’s guide on conducting due diligence, alongside our own policies and procedures for accepting and refusing donations.
It said it also undertook “extensive due diligence” in line with its partnerships and associations policy and escalated its investigation to the Charity Commission.
Tamsin Baxter, executive director of fundraising and external affairs at Refugee Council, said: “Following a robust due diligence process and with agreement from our trustees, we have decided to accept the generous legacy donation from Mr Joaquín Romero Maura.
“We are thrilled as this gift will allow us to make a big difference in the lives of refugees and people seeking asylum.
“We will take great care to ensure the money is deployed to greatest effect and has a lasting legacy in the future.”
A Charity Commission spokesperson said: “We have been engaging with the Refugee Council in relation to its decision to accept this donation after it reached out to us.
“The charity has demonstrated that it has followed due diligence processes, including taking legal advice and following Commission guidance, in its decision that accepting the donation is in its best interests.”
Related Articles
