A BBC investigation has raised serious questions about whether Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor may have inadvertently benefited from money linked to corruption following the sale of his former Berkshire home, Sunninghill Park.

The broadcaster reports that millions of pounds paid to the then prince in 2007 came from funds connected to a company later implicated by Italian prosecutors in a major bribery scheme involving Kazakhstan’s oil and gas sector.

Sunninghill Park, a 12-bedroom mansion near Ascot, was sold by Andrew for £15m to Kazakh billionaire Timur Kulibayev, who at the time was one of the most powerful figures in Kazakhstan’s energy industry and the son-in-law of the country’s then president, Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Funds linked to bribery probe

According to the BBC, Kulibayev used a loan from a company called Enviro Pacific Investments to help fund the purchase. Italian prosecutors later concluded that Enviro Pacific had received cash originating from a bribery scheme dating back to 2007.

Court documents seen by the BBC show that prosecutors believed payments of an “allegedly corrupt nature” flowed from another firm, Aventall, into Enviro Pacific shortly before contracts were exchanged on Sunninghill Park.

While no charges were brought against Kulibayev in Italy, and proceedings were ultimately dismissed, prosecutors concluded that the money trail raised serious concerns. The BBC says the final payment into Enviro Pacific was made less than two months before the sale contracts were signed.

Kulibayev’s lawyers told the BBC that their client has never engaged in bribery or corruption, that the funds used to buy Sunninghill Park were entirely legitimate, and that the loan from Enviro Pacific was taken on commercial terms and later repaid with interest.

“Blatant red flags”

Money laundering experts interviewed by the BBC said the transaction displayed multiple warning signs that should have prompted enhanced checks.

Tom Keatinge, director of the Centre for Finance and Security, said the deal contained “blatant red flags” and should have triggered detailed scrutiny to ensure it was not “helping to launder the proceeds of corruption”.

Among the issues highlighted were:

• The buyer’s status as a politically exposed person
• His close family ties to Kazakhstan’s autocratic leadership
• The use of offshore companies and complex loan arrangements
• The lack of transparency over the buyer’s identity
• The price paid, which was reportedly £3m above the asking price and around £7m above market value

At the time of the sale, the UK government was already raising concerns about “systematic corruption” in Kazakhstan. Despite this, the identity of the buyer was not publicly disclosed, and Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the transaction.

Official role at the time

When the sale took place, Andrew was serving as a UK trade envoy and was fourth in line to the throne. In the same month the transaction was completed, taxpayers funded a £57,000 chartered flight for him to visit Kazakhstan on official business.

There is no evidence that the former prince knew the source of the funds used to buy Sunninghill Park. However, critics argue that the circumstances raise serious questions about whether appropriate due diligence was carried out by advisers involved in the deal.

Margaret Hodge, the government’s former anti-corruption champion, said she was “utterly shocked” by the BBC’s findings and called for the matter to be properly investigated.

“Nobody is above the law,” she said, adding that Parliament and relevant national agencies should examine whether proceeds of crime may have been involved.

Property later demolished

Sunninghill Park was originally given to Andrew by the Queen as a wedding gift in 1986. After remaining empty for several years following its sale, the mansion was demolished in 2016. A new, larger property was built on the site but has reportedly never been occupied.

Andrew did not respond to the BBC’s requests for comment. In a 2009 interview with the Daily Telegraph, he previously defended the sale, saying: “It’s not my business, the second the price is paid. If that is the offer, I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.”

The Royal Family’s solicitors also declined to comment, citing client confidentiality.

The BBC investigation adds to ongoing scrutiny of historic high-value UK property transactions involving offshore structures and politically exposed individuals, and is likely to fuel further calls for tighter oversight and transparency.