01 January 2024 , 09:22
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The furious husband of Tory peer Michelle Mone has claimed his family is being treated "like a punchbag" to distract from Government "incompetence".
Businessman Doug Barrowman launched a scathing attack on officials, claiming he'd been offered the chance to "settle" and make legal action go away - but said the price for doing so kept rising. In a two page letter shared on social media he also said it was "curious" the company he set up is the only one facing legal action when there are over 170 other disputed Covid-era contracts.
Mr Barrowman maintains his innocence in the PPE Medpro scandal, which saw his company awarded £200million in contracts. He said goods were provided at "competitive prices" following a "transparent process". He also claimed that the company acted no differently to 51 other firms who were awarded contracts through the "high priority lane".
The blistering statement comes after Scottish lingerie tycoon Mone last month admitted lying to journalists when she denied having any involvement in the company. During the pandemic she referred PPE Medpro to the Government before it won lucrative contractives. This included one worth £122million for 25 million gowns. But the Government says these were not fit for use - which the company denies - and were never used.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) has been investigating their role in the contract, and Mone is suspected of conspiracy to defraud, fraud by false representation and bribery. She denies all the allegations and insists she has done nothing wrong. On top of that she is being probed in the House of Lords.
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Mr Barrowman said it is "curious" that PPE Medpro is the only company facing legal action despite there being 176 disputed cases. And in his scathing message, he said that Sir Chris Wormald, chief secretary to the Department for Health, should resign as no one at the department had been "held to account".
Mr Barrowman alleged that he'd been offered the chance to pay his way out of the legal trouble. He wrote: "What makes this case somewhat unique is the Government is also using the arm of the NCA (National Crime Agency) to threaten criminal proceedings unless we settle. We have tried to settle on numerous occasions and have been told to increase the figure before they are prepared to (in their words) 'call the dogs off'".
He went on to defend his wife, claiming that she didn't directly benefit financially from the contracts. Mr Barrowman wrote: "Sorry to disappoint everyone, but Michelle and her kids were not entitled to any of that money. How I choose to organise my personal financial affairs is not a matter for public debate: however I will say this: as my wife, the ways in which I support Michelle financially or otherwise is entirely my decision."
The businessman wrote: "Michelle and I are being hung out to dry to distract attention from government incompetence in how it handled PPE procurement at a time of national emergency. Medpro supplied the Govt with 1.5% of PPE spend (£202 million) against a total of £13.1billion and yet the media or Govt refuses to focus on the other 98.5% of PPE supplied; much of which was defective or never used and/or supplied in identical circumstances to the Medpro contracts."
Doug Barrowman and Michelle Mone deny any wrongdoing (BBC)But she told the BBC last month: "I don’t honestly see there’s a case to answer. I can’t see what we’ve done wrong. Doug and the consortium have simply delivered a contract, a delivery contract of goods."
According to the Sunday Times, a £3million payment into Baroness Mone's account with private bank Coutts is allegedly being scrutinised by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
It was reported to be of interest to the NCA because it arrived after £65million in profits from PPE Medpro were transferred to trusts and accounts connected to Mr Barrowman. The former Conservative peer has publicly stated she may only indirectly benefit from the profits of lucrative government contracts. Speaking to the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg last month, Mone said: “It’s my husband’s money. It’s his money. It’s not my money and it’s not my children’s.
“I am being straightforward about it now, Laura. I’m saying to you that I didn’t receive that cash. That cash is not my cash, that cash is my husband’s cash, we are married. If one day, God forbid, my husband passes away before me, then I am a beneficiary, as well as his children and my children, so yes, of course.”
The NCA declined to comment on the claims while the investigation is ongoing. A spokesman said: "The NCA can confirm its International Corruption Unit opened an investigation in May 2021 into suspected criminal offences committed in the procurement of PPE contracts by PPE Medpro." Mone has been contacted for comment.
Earlier in December she told The Sunday Times she had been treated like the Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. She said: "It has been an extremely tough year of pain with frozen accounts. Under the Proceeds of Crime Act, I've been treated like Pablo Escobar. What happened to innocent until proven guilty?"
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Baroness Mone has apologised for lying to reporters but has insisted she did nothing wrong.