Officials investigating possible illegal actions in the distribution of large contracts during the Covid pandemic have spoken with Matt Hancock and Michael Gove as witnesses.
The NCA is currently conducting an investigation into PPE Medpro, a company that was awarded £200m in contracts and had ties to Conservative peer Michelle Mone and her husband, Douglas Barrowman.
Former health secretary, Hancock, and former Cabinet Office minister, Gove, were questioned by NCA investigators in an effort to comprehend the process and reasoning behind the awarding of contracts and to determine if any criminal offenses were committed.
There is no suspicion of wrongdoing on the part of either senior politician, and there is no indication or implication of such.
The NCA’s international corruption unit is overseeing the ongoing criminal investigation, which has been ongoing for two and a half years.
In the beginning of this month, Mone admitted for the first time that she had a connection to the company that received government contracts for personal protective equipment worth £200 million during the pandemic.
Mone’s spouse has acknowledged their involvement in PPE Medpro.
A spokesperson for Barrowman informed the Guardian that the businessman, who is based in the Isle of Man, had invested in PPE Medpro and oversaw the efforts to provide personal protective equipment.
Despite numerous denials, Mone, Barrowman, and a representative for PPE Medpro have not addressed the NCA’s investigation.
The DHSC is pursuing legal action to recover the entire amount of £122m it paid for numerous unused surgical gowns provided by PPE Medpro under a government contract. The government alleges that these gowns were not suitable for use in the NHS due to safety concerns. The company is currently contesting the claim.
The DHSC’s “VIP” high priority lane was used to process contracts, expediting offers for PPE from companies linked to the Conservative party or government.
In May and June 2020, during the beginning of the pandemic, the DHSC awarded PPE Medpro two contracts worth £203m to provide millions of face masks and sterile surgical gowns.
The Guardian has previously revealed that Mone made the first approach to the then Cabinet Office ministers Michael Gove and Theodore Agnew, telling them she could source PPE through “my team in Hong Kong”.
Records show that Medpro made millions of pounds in profits from PPE, which were then funneled into an undisclosed offshore trust for the benefit of Mone and her adult children.
In November of last year, the Guardian released a report stating that confidential HSBC bank documents suggested that Barrowman received a sum of £65m from PPE Medpro’s earnings, and subsequently transferred £29m into a trust for Mone and her three grown children.
The NCA released a statement stating that their International Corruption Unit has launched an investigation in May 2021 regarding potential criminal activities surrounding the procurement of PPE contracts by PPE Medpro.
A representative from the NCA refused to discuss the official witness interviews involving Gove and Hancock, stating that the agency does not provide comments on investigations that are still in progress.
In April 2022, the NCA conducted searches on multiple properties in the Isle of Man and London as part of their investigation.
The properties mentioned are the Isle of Man office building, registered under PPE Medpro, and the mansion where Mone and Barrowman reside.
The Isle of Man constabulary confirmed that search warrants were executed at four addresses on the island on Wednesday “in support of an ongoing NCA investigation”. There were no arrests.
The Sunday Times first reported on the NCA’s interviews with Hancock and Gove as witnesses. Both individuals have been contacted for their comments.
Source: theguardian.com
