The official in charge of maintaining Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth II’s London residence, was on Wednesday jailed for five years for accepting more than £100,000 OR (US$130,000) to award valuable contracts.
As deputy property manager for the Royal Household, Ronald Harper, was also responsible for maintaining St James’s Palace, Clarence House and Windsor Castle until he was suspended in 2012.
Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith at London’s Southwark Crown Court sentenced the 64-yeard-old to three-year and two-year jail terms for two counts of conspiracy to make corrupt payments, a total of five years. “During his employment, Harper personally received more than £100,000 in covert payments from companies which were awarded lucrative and prestigious contracts.
