Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were flown around Nigeria for free by an airline with a "wanted fugitive" as its chairman.
Dr Allen Onyema, founder of Nigerian airline Air Peace, provided the Sussexes with free flights during their three-day tour of Nigeria.
However, Dr Onyema is facing multiple charges linked to millions of dollars worth of alleged fraud, after a federal indictment was filed in November 2019.
Dr Onyema has maintained his innocence in a statement issued by his lawyers.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry recently travelled to Nigeria
Getty
The statement read: "I never laundered money in my life, neither have I committed bank fraud anywhere in the world.
"Every kobo I transferred to the U.S. for aircraft purchases went through the Central Bank of Nigeria and all were used for the same purpose."
Dr Onyema’s lawyers released a public statement saying: “On behalf of Allen Onyema, we hereby state that he strongly denies and will vigorously defend himself against the allegations made against him by the US Attorney in Atlanta, Georgia, in relation to purchase of aircraft, aircraft spares and aircraft maintenance.”
Stanley Olisa at Air Peace said the Sussexes were given the "complimentary flights" by the CEO, along with "everything they wanted" because "they are royals".
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle received a warm welcome party when they touched down in NigeriaReutersThe indictment accused Dr Onyema of allegedly "using his status as a prominent business leader and airline executive to launder more than $20million from Nigeria through US bank accounts".
There is no suggestion that either Harry or Meghan were aware of Onyema's history before they met him.
GB News understands that all travel within Nigeria was organised by the Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff who officially invited the duke and duchess to Nigeria.
Olisa told the Mirror: "The planes were chartered. It was just the royals and their entourage. They were not flying with other passengers. We understand that they are royals so we gave them top-tier treatment on board. They were given everything they wanted. It was an exclusive experience. And we flew them back to Abuja in the evening. Everything was complimentary."
Harry and Meghan's tour of Nigeria was extremely successful for the couple
ReutersHe added: "The chairman of Air Peace gave Prince Harry and his wonderful wife Meghan free flights to Lagos and back as part of his contribution to the successful hosting of the couple."
The couple and their entourage flew 664 miles on a 120-seat plane creating around 12 tonnes of carbon emissions.
The average annual carbon footprint for one person per year is about four tonnes.
Like his father King Charles, Prince Harry has also been a vocal champion of environmental causes.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle received great support in Nigeria ReutersDuring the visit, the couple visited a local charity and met with military leaders, injured soldiers and schoolchildren.
Royal author Tom Quinn said: "Everything you might expect from an official royal visit was there – the receptions, the visits to schools and charities, to wounded soldiers and the disabled.
"Meghan and Harry's speeches and their whole attitude has been designed to give the impression that they are still fully paid-up royals and William and his father King Charles don't like it one bit."
GB News has approached Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Dr Allen Onyema for comment.
