Baroness Mone’s Assets Frozen in PPE Investigation

Assets controlled by former Tory peer Michelle Mone and her husband Doug Barrowman have been frozen under a court order obtained by the Crown Prosecution Service due to an ongoing investigation. Their company, PPE Medro, had been awarded contracts worth over £200m to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) to the NHS through a VIP lane. The Department for Health and Social Care is also suing PPE Medro for breach of contract and unjust enrichment. The Financial Times reported that several assets, including properties, a townhouse, and bank accounts, worth £75m have been frozen or restrained through the court order. The order prohibits the sale of some assets and places certain restrictions on others.

A spokesperson for Baroness Mone and Mr Barrowman confirmed the freezing of their assets and stated that the couple did not contest the application. They see it as a step towards proving their innocence more quickly. The spokesperson also expressed disappointment about private matters being leaked and conducted in the public realm by government departments and the CPS, comparing it to the exposure faced by former Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.

In recent developments, it was revealed that Baroness Mone and her husband initially lied to journalists about their involvement with PPE Medro but later admitted their connection. Baroness Mone, who was a Conservative peer until recently, has compared her treatment to that of notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar after her bank accounts were frozen under the Proceeds of Crime Act. PPE Medro is currently being investigated by the National Crime Agency for suspected criminal offenses related to the contracts awarded during the Covid pandemic. The company faces a lawsuit from the Department for Health and Social Care for breach of contract and unjust enrichment, as millions of gowns supplied to the NHS were never used. PPE Medro maintains that it fulfilled its contractual obligations and intends to vigorously defend the claim.