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Potential Covid Contract corruption

An interesting article in the recent Sunday Times from Henry Newman - special advisor to Gove and Johnson.
I quote a part because i can't find it online - April 2020 - Rachel Reeves wrote to Gove imploring the Government to respond faster and leave "no stone unturned" hunting for PPE.
Her missive included companies ready to contribute, including what turned out to be a Football Agent who would supply ventilators and a medieval bodice maker who would make surgical gowns!
Not long after, she complained that the Tories had spent too much - what a surprise!
Was there corruption - possibly; were we overcharged by every supplier wanting to profit from disaster - absolutely.
Can you blame the Tories for just getting hold of what was required - not at all - unless there was pure corruption, in which case hang 'em high!
 
Forest Hillbilly said:
"An anti-corruption charity says it has identified significant concerns in contracts worth over £15.3bn awarded by the Conservative government during the Covid pandemic, equivalent to £1 in every £3 spent.

Transparency International UK found 135 “high-risk” contracts with at least three red flags - warning signs of a risk of corruption.

Twenty-eight contracts worth £4.1bn went to firms with known political connections, while 51 worth £4bn went through a "VIP lane" for companies recommended by MPs and peers, a practice the High Court ruled was unlawful.

Transparency International UK analysed 5,000 contracts for red flags.

The charity said its analysis also indicated that almost two thirds of high-value contracts to supply items such as masks and protective medical equipment during the pandemic, adding up to a total of £30.7bn, were awarded without any competition."

Don't worry. All the findings will be vague enough for specific people to swerve blame and criminal charges. And you might wonder why Starmer doesn't have a pot to pl55 in.
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Could hardly have been awarded by a Labour government.

Where there is both a good chance of a successful prosecution and the likelihood of recovery of funds it is worth going after corrupt cases.

Seeing corruption and proving it are are very different.

Items that were not to spec or simply not delivered is easier to go after.

The charity should have a look at contracts to manage events in London recently awarded by Sadick Cant to company that gave him freebies
 
There's something amiss here (not just £8.7b of taxpayers money), if the Government are willing to spend a shedload of money on a fraud probe. More than finding the culprits (and they come from all parties), they must think there is a reasonable chance of getting a significant amount of money back. Or is this probe just a bit of good PR and another waste of taxpayers money ?
I think anyone who made a shed-load out of (failed)PPE contracts has has plenty of time to put their ill-gotten gains somewhere safe and untouchable.
Hoping I'm proved wrong

www.bbc.co.uk

Covid corruption commissioner gets to work

Tom Hayhoe's first task will be reviewing the £8.7bn of pandemic PPE that had to be written off.
www.bbc.co.uk
"The new Covid corruption commissioner has started an investigation into personal protective equipment (PPE) fraud.
Tom Hayhoe's first task will be reviewing the £8.7bn of PPE bought during the pandemic that then had to be written off the government's books.
Mr Hayhoe is also likely to review the previous government's abandoning of attempts to reclaim money from deals worth £674m.
The National Crime Agency is separately investigating possible criminal offences committed in the PPE procurement system." (BBC website)
 
That's the way I'm looking at it, Badger . Presumably they are doing some kind of monetary risk assessment before they start work.
Also in my mind, i'm wondering if persons of interest will try plea-bargaining, or, like people do with HMRC, cut some kind of reduced liability deal with immunity from prosecution/publicity.
I certainly hope it's not a waste of money and effort, like all of the other Covid-related investigations thus far.
 
Forest Hillbilly said:
That's the way I'm looking at it, Badger . Presumably they are doing some kind of monetary risk assessment before they start work.
Also in my mind, i'm wondering if persons of interest will try plea-bargaining, or, like people do with HMRC, cut some kind of reduced liability deal with immunity from prosecution/publicity.
I certainly hope it's not a waste of money and effort, like all of the other Covid-related investigations thus far.
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Exactly, the same waste that sent loads to court and prison. That sort of waste you mean! Although unless this is a cross party investigation it will be another witch hunt !
 
Teddy Eagle said:
So precisely what most people thought nearly 5 years ago.
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Didn’t trump get shut down for saying it was the china virus. Seems he was correct all along. That will be painful for some to admit. Along with eating pets which is happening and over here with swans and ducks getting short on numbers. Don’t want to upset the newbies though.
 
cryrst said:
Didn’t trump get shut down for saying it was the china virus. Seems he was correct all along. That will be painful for some to admit. Along with eating pets which is happening and over here with swans and ducks getting short on numbers. Don’t want to upset the newbies though.
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It is just the start of us "conspiracy theorists" being proven right. I'm sure a lot more will eventually come out.
 
beak said:
Not to sure possibly a whitewash job.
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We'll see. It's a Labour government and Tory contracts - so there's some actual skin in this game. If it were an enquiry generally, it would take years and find nothing. This way they can scare some Tory donors and maybe get something out of it for themselves.
 
ASCPFC said:
We'll see. It's a Labour government and Tory contracts - so there's some actual skin in this game. If it were an enquiry generally, it would take years and find nothing. This way they can scare some Tory donors and maybe get something out of it for themselves.
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The goal of this body should be to recover taxpayers money not pursue criminal charges which is the goal of the police.

I expect that the companies they are looking at will range from outright fraud to nothing illegal but made a lot of money with sharp practices.

In the case of outright fraud the chances of recovering money will be low but good luck if they can.

In the case of sharp business practices I would hope they would threaten to embarrass the companies involved and tell them they will never get any public contracts again unless they agree to some form of refund. That might work if those companies are still in business.

I don't hold out much hope.
 
I don't see this as a party-political issue, although many will exploit any outcomes as such.
If some thieving politicians have gotten substantial sums by fraudulent actions, they need to be held accountable and face the criminal consequences. No doubt many saw Covid as a "print free cash" voucher that wouldn't be subject to the usual scrutiny.
There are £B's of lost taxpayers money, and i think if there's a reasonable chance of recovery, then those who acted fraudulently should start talking to their lawyers.
If the National Crime Agency get involved, they are just ruthless.
 
Forest Hillbilly said:
I don't see this as a party-political issue, although many will exploit any outcomes as such.
If some thieving politicians have gotten substantial sums by fraudulent actions, they need to be held accountable and face the criminal consequences. No doubt many saw Covid as a "print free cash" voucher that wouldn't be subject to the usual scrutiny.
There are £B's of lost taxpayers money, and i think if there's a reasonable chance of recovery, then those who acted fraudulently should start talking to their lawyers.
If the National Crime Agency get involved, they are just ruthless.
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I suspect that a lot of these companies were shell corporations which have disappeared. The problem with using the courts is how often have we seen people guilty of fraud get a slap on the wrist and walk off with the money.

The US seem to have it right. Frighten the life at of these people unless they pay it back.

I'm more interested in getting the money back than in criminal charges that may fail.

The Tory peer couple who have overcharged for PPE? Is that fraud or just sharp practice? I suspect they might get off in court despicable as they are.

Better to try and negotiate a refund, better for the taxpayer that is.
 
ASCPFC said:
We'll see. It's a Labour government and Tory contracts - so there's some actual skin in this game. If it were an enquiry generally, it would take years and find nothing. This way they can scare some Tory donors and maybe get something out of it for themselves.
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Politics are Machiavellian at the best of times,When I was involved "Working Party" was a shunt sideways at best, All party and no work.
 
beak said:
Politics are Machiavellian at the best of times,When I was involved "Working Party" was a shunt sideways at best, All party and no work.
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Often a way to pay off some law firms, accountants and judges.
Every Irish "Tribunal" has literally been a joke on the taxpayer. Guess that joke's on me.
The findings are released in paper form, in literally hundreds of boxes of paperwork.
I guess we've modernised and could probably download the hundreds of thousands of pages. Things like the glossary of terms take up two boxes and the scope of the inquiry material is impenetrable. There are no actual findings, except generalisations that can't be proved, or powers to do anything.
Beware that kind of thing - just a continuation of cronyism, fraud, corruption and the gravy train.

Really a couple of lowly accountants and auditors could easily uncover much of what happened to COVID contracts. Would probably take quite long but it's nowhere near as complicated as the government are going to make it. If they're actually going to do something, you'll hear about it quick enough. But the usual is hearing about it in three years time, or longer, when no one really remembers that it was going on anymore. A political game by Labour would be to release findings before by elections or local elections, or in a fanfare of Tory corruption in four years time.
 
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