Officers have arrested a 46-year old man in connection with an investigation into the £200m worth of contracts that were awarded by the UK government to PPE Medpro for Covid-19 pandemic-related services.
National Crime Agency said that officers interviewed the man who was not identified on Wednesday, at his Barnet home, in north London.
Medpro is the subject of controversy after allegations that the personal protective gear it provided to the Department of Health and Social Care wasn’t fit for purpose.
The NCA stated that the arrest was made on suspicion of conspiring to commit fraud and perverting the course of justice.
PPE Medpro belongs to a consortium headed by Doug Barrowman. He is married Baroness Michelle Mone, a Conservative MP.
Mone acknowledged last year that she would benefit from the profits made by PPE Medpro from government contracts. She lobbied government ministers to award contracts to PPE Medpro.
PPE Medpro was given a high priority to supply the UK Government in 2020 after Mone, an entrepreneur in lingerie who was knighted by David Cameron, made a lobbying effort.
In 2022, the Health Department sued PPE Medpro for breach of contract. They alleged that £122mn of medical gowns provided by PPE Medpro had not been packaged properly. The company denies the claims.
In an interview with BBC, Mone admitted to lying to the media to conceal her involvement with the firm. Barrowman publicly denied that he was an “investor in PPE Medpro”.
Mone and Barrowman said that they were transparent about their relationship with the company when speaking to government ministers.
The NCA launched an investigation in May 2021 into “suspected criminal offences” committed by PPE Medpro in procuring PPE contracts.
As part of an investigation, ordered the freezing or restriction of approximately £75mn in assets related to Mone and Barrowman earlier this year.
The order included assets such as a six-bedroom Belgravia Townhouse, a country house on the Isle of Man and 15 accounts with Coutts C Hoare & Co and Goldman Sachs International.
Both Mone & Barrowman claim to be innocent.
PPE Medpro Mone and Barrowman have not responded to an immediate request for comment.
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