The AGA Khan told a US lawyer that he had shredded a memorandum of June 1998 relating to the employment of a secretary who had worked at his stud in Co Kildare, and had also shredded other memorandums with dates in 1998, the High Court has been told.
Mr Henry Carter Carnegie, who practises in Florida, said in an affidavit that he had been requested by solicitors for the Aga Khan in Ireland to seek instructions from the Aga Khan in relation to another affidavit, which was made during proceedings in the Irish courts.
In those proceedings Ms Mary Charlton (54), of Canalway, Kilcullen, Co Kildare, who was secretary at the Aga Khan stud for 27 years, is seeking several orders, including one for attachment or committal of the Aga Khan and members of his staff.
She previously obtained a court order against the Aga Khan Stud Societe Civile, of Paris, restraining it from holding a disciplinary hearing involving her.
In his affidavit yesterday Mr Carnegie said that because of the Aga Khan's commitments it had not been possible for Mr Carnegie to arrange for the Aga Khan to swear an affidavit for the court yesterday.
But the Aga Khan had instructed him that he had received a memorandum of June 18th, 1998, of Mr Richard Coulton - a financial executive at the Aga Khan's stud, Mr Carnegie said.
He continued that the Aga Khan had instructed him that, having read the memorandum, he shredded it personally. The Aga Khan had also stated it was his practice to shred documents which he did not wish to retain, as other copies of them were available on the files of the staff members.
Mr Carnegie said the Aga Khan had instructed him that he did not tell anyone to take any steps in relation to the termination or alteration of the terms of Mrs Charlton's employment, and that he had told Mr Frank Faughnan - head of security at the Co Kildare premises - "that he should identify the persons involved in the fraud of the company, ascertain the extent of it and recover any losses".