Covid investigation will hear detailed evidence about personal protection equipment contracts worth millions of pounds given during the crisis with a company linked to conservative counterpart Michel MoonBut separately, the rule of the investigation chair.
Since May 2021, the National Crime Agency has investigated potential criminal crimes committed in the purchase of contracts granted to the company, MedPro personal equipment, and argued that its achievement could be biased if the investigation heard evidence in public places.
Mrs. Moon and her husband, a businessman on the island of Il of Man, Doug Barman, denied for years that they participated in the company, even in December 2023 they publicly confessed to their involvement. Mone and Barrowman have denied any criminal violations.
Last December K. Covid inquiryHeaded by Mrs. Halit, ready to study the government’s purchase of biomedical supplies during the Covid crisis, NCA applied all the evidence related to PPE MedPro.
Lawyers who represent the families whose relatives died during the crisis have argued that the investigation should hear more complete evidence of government and “VIP Lane” controversial “VIP Lane”, including MedPro, and criticized the NCA application. Media organizations, including the Guardian and the BBC, have exaggerated the risk of a criminal investigation, given the amount of information already in the public domain.
in Its rulingHallett said she had read “sensitive” evidence provided by NCA and accepted that there was “the risk of damage or damage to possible criminal procedures” if the evidence is heard in public places, because it may escape the opinions of people who may sit in the form of jury. “The risks arise from their position in the public domain, including potential jurors, and written and oral evidence that may be in any criminal procedures, if charges are charged,” she ruled.
However, Hallett refused NCA request to PPE MedPro to exclude her from the investigation, and instead decided that the evidence will be heard in a closed session, attended by five journalists as a maximum, with evidence that must be published only in the end of any possible criminal procedures.
PPE MEDPRO received two decades worth a total of 203 million pounds in May and June 2020, to supply millions of sterile face masks, as the government implemented emergency measures to fill in personal protection equipment stocks.
Contracts were addressed through the government “VIP Lane”, which gave high priority to companies with political ties. In March 2022, the Guardian revealed this Money had taken the first approachAn offer to provide personal protection equipment, for the then ministers of the Cabinet Office, Michael Goff and Tudor Agyoune, who were at that time responsible for purchases. AGNEW then referred the offer to civil service staff who were running high -priority hot.
In November 2022, the Guardian revealed that the documents produced by HSBC Bank showed that Barrowman had been paid at least 65 million pounds from the profits of the MedPro personal protection equipment, and he had it Then he transferred 29 million pounds sterling In external confidence prepared for Mone and its three adult children.
in An interview with Laura Quinsbus from the BBC In December 2023, Mone and Barrowman admitted that they participated in the company, and lied to the media. Barrowman confirmed that he had achieved more than 60 million pounds, and turned money into confidence; The couple said that his children were also benefiting from confidence.
It is expected that the COVID InquIy Procurement examination will include VIP Lane, but the bereaved family groups have expressed disappointment because the investigation did not request direct evidence from contracts that have received contracts. The investigation also heard in December that government departments were slow to provide details, explaining that this is due to the way documents and employee changes are stored.
Public listening sessions of Covid Inquiry are scheduled to start on March 3.
