He was one of about a dozen Muslim athletes honored in 2011 at a reception hosted by then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at the State Department in Washington.
Sir John, who is stepping down as commissioner on January 31, was speaking at the launch of The Official History of the Metropolitan Police, at a reception also attended by Home Secretary David Blunkett.
Det Insp Hawkins told the court that as he arrived in the company's reception area he was approached by Polly Peck International's (PPI) company secretary and director Peter Compson who handed him an envelope containing pieces of torn paper.