Michelle Mone makes 'millions in profits' after selling off Glasgow townhouses
The Scottish Mail on Sunday reports that Baroness Mone sold a £19m London townhouse and £6.8m Lady M Yacht last year.
It comes after Glasgow-born Mone and her billionaire husband Doug Barrowman had £75m worth of assets frozen by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
The couple are at the centre of a fraud probe over the firm PPE Medpro, controlled by Barrowman, that was awarded £203m worth of UK Government contracts through a 'VIP lane' during the Covid-19 pandemic.
READ MORE: Supreme Court's sex ruling faces legal tests – will they succeed?
In November 2023, Mone finally admitted her involvement with PPE Medpro for the first time, after years of denying any links to the company.
It then emerged Barrowman was reportedly paid at least £65m from PPE Medpro's profits, later transferring £29m into a trust for Mone and her three adult children.
Several properties were frozen under the Proceeds of Crime Act in 2023.
And now, Mone has reportedly sold her Glasgow homes. The Mail on Sunday reports that there is no suggestion any of the property sales breached any existing orders put in place by the NCA.
One townhouse in Glasgow's plush Park Circus was bought by Barrowman's Knox business group for £1.7m in 2020. The couple have now reportedly sold this to a photographer for £2m last year.
Another nearby townhouse was sold for £2.8m, allegedly to a Scottish musician, who was not named. It was bought in July 2020 for just over £1.4m.
A spokesperson for the NCA confirmed an investigation is still ongoing into PPE Medpro.
'The NCA opened an investigation in May 2021 into suspected criminal offences committed in the procurement of PPE contracts by PPE Medpro,' they said.
'This ongoing investigation remains a priority for the agency.
READ MORE: Scottish independence 'already begun as UK political culture diverges'
'Investigations must pursue all reasonable lines of enquiry. In serious economic crime investigations these lines of enquiry can be incredibly complex – from worldwide financial tracing exercises to the need to examine large volumes of digital material.
'In such cases it can take considerable time to ensure that a thorough, independent and objective investigation is conducted.'
PPE Medpro is also being sued by the Department of Health and Social Care, amid claims that the gown supplied by the firm were not fit for use.
We previously told how Mone accused the NCA of "smearing [her] as a criminal".
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
STV News
an hour ago
- STV News
Reform voters in Hamilton by-election ‘angry', not racist, says Swinney
John Swinney has said Scots who voted for Reform in a by-election last week were 'angry', not racist. The First Minister was asked on the BBC Scotland's Sunday Show if those who backed Reform were 'gullible' or 'racist' – a term the SNP leader has previously used to describe the party. Swinney said the 7,088 people who backed Reform – more than a quarter of the vote – in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse ballot were 'neither', but were instead 'angry at the cost-of-living crisis'. He added: 'I think that's what motivates the Reform vote. People have got poorer because of one central thing – Brexit, and the author of that is (Reform UK leader Nigel) Farage. 'I'm standing up to Farage. I'm going to make no apology for it.' PA Media John Swinney said those who voted Reform in Hamilton were 'angry' (PA). He said the SNP is 'in the process of recovery' and he had come into office as First Minister a year ago 'inheriting some significant difficulties' within the party, and that it needs to get stronger before the Holyrood election in 2026. He said voters are 'having to work hard for less' and are concerned about public services, particularly the NHS. Swinney was asked about comments he made prior to the vote saying 'Labour were not at the races' and claiming it was a 'two-horse race' between the SNP and Reform. Labour's Davy Russell gained the seat from the SNP with 8,559 votes, while SNP candidate Katy Loudon came second on 7,957, ahead of Reform's Ross Lambie. The First Minister said that since the general election campaign last year, people he has met have pledged never to vote Labour due to the winter fuel allowance being cut, while Reform's support increased. PA Media Reform UK came third in the by-election (Jane Barlow/PA). Swinney said: 'People were telling us on the doorsteps, they were giving us reasons why they weren't supporting Labour. We could also see that Farage's support was rising dramatically and that's happening across the United Kingdom, it's not unique to Hamilton. 'I positioned the SNP to be strong enough to stop Farage, and that's what we were determined to do.' Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has branded the SNP's campaign 'dishonest and disgraceful' and said it had put the spotlight on Reform. Those comments were put to the First Minister, who said he had previously been allies with Mr Sarwar in a campaign to 'stand up to far-right thinking'. Swinney said: 'That was months ago and then we found ourselves in the aftermath of the UK local authority elections, the English local authority elections where Farage surged to a leading position and won a by-election south of the border. 'So the dynamic of our politics change in front of us. 'I've been standing up to Farage for months, I've been warning about the dangers of Farage for months, and they crystallised in the rise of Farage during the Hamilton, Stonehouse and Larkhall by-election.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Edinburgh Live
an hour ago
- Edinburgh Live
Where Michael Ross is now as Prime Video's The Orkney Assassin airs
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Prime Video's The Orkney Assassin is now available for viewing, but where is Michael Ross? In 1994, the Orkney Islands were thrust into the international limelight when 26 year old Shamsuddin Mahmood was brutally murdered in Mumtaz restaurant, a bustling curry house in Kirkwall. At approximately 7.10pm on June 2, a masked man donning a balaclava entered the restaurant and fatally shot the Bangladeshi waiter before calmly exiting the premises. For 14 years, his murderer managed to evade capture until a breakthrough occurred in 2006 when a witness informed the Kirkwall police that they had seen 15 year old Michael Ross with a firearm on the night of the murder. (Image: ORKNEY PHOTOGRAPHIC/PRIME VIDEO) Before his arrest, Ross joined the renowned Scottish regiment Black Watch at the tender age of 17 where he ascended to the rank of sergeant of a sniper platoon and served in the first Gulf War. It was then in 2008 that, after a trial at the High Court in Glasgow where he refrained from giving evidence, he was convicted for the murder of Shamsuddin Mahmood. Where is Michael Ross now? Ross is currently serving a life sentence for Mahmood's murder at one of Scotland's maximum-security prisons, HMP Shotts in Lanarkshire, as reported by the BBC. To date, he has served nearly 17 years of his sentence and during this period, Ross has attempted to escape on multiple occasions, including in 2018 when he tried to scale a fence. Ross had crafted a makeshift ladder and attempted to climb over the fence while other inmates were exercising in the yard. Consequently, Ross was allegedly held in solitary confinement for weeks and barred from contacting his loved ones. (Image: PA) His lawyer Aamer Anwar asserted that Ross was aware the escape attempt would fail but aimed to draw attention to his appeal against conviction. Despite being found guilty in 2008, Ross maintains his innocence, telling The Orcadian newspaper recently: "I'm doing a 25-year life sentence for something I didn't do." Ross' earliest possible release date is reportedly set for 2035. The upcoming Prime Video documentary, The Orkney Assassin: Murder In The Isles, will thoroughly examine the brutal murder, the prolonged investigation, and feature interviews with investigators from the time, Ross' lawyer, and his parents, who also claim he is innocent. The Orkney Assassin: Murder In The Isles is available to watch on Prime Video.
STV News
2 hours ago
- STV News
Spending review needs to prioritise growth, Finance Secretary says
Finance Secretary Shona Robison has called on the Chancellor to 'prioritise growth' and to fully fund the employer national insurance increase for Scotland's public services ahead of the UK spending review next week. Robison urged the UK Government to abandon some of its 'damaging policies' such as cuts to welfare support for disabled people, to scrap the two-child benefit cap and to reinstate a universal winter fuel payment, ahead of the review on June 11. She said the Scottish Government had not yet been provided with 'clarity' on spending priorities. She asked Chancellor Rachel Reeves to award funding for the Acorn carbon capture project and to ensure Scotland receives a share of GB Energy funding that matches its contribution to UK clean energy goals. Robison said: 'The UK spending review is an opportunity for the UK Government to abandon some of its damaging policies such as cuts to welfare support for disabled people, to scrap the two-child benefit cap and to reinstate a universal winter fuel payment. 'We are also aware of the huge impact of the increase in employer's national insurance, not least on public services. I hope UK ministers will use the spending review to fully-fund the costs of this tax hike on jobs to vital public services like the NHS. 'The UK Government should also use the spending review to empower the devolved administrations with more flexible fiscal rules that can enable investment in public services. 'We need an end to spending that bypasses devolution so we can direct funds to best meet local needs. 'We called on UK ministers to involve us at an early stage of this process, but since they've refused to provide us with any clarity on their spending priorities it's clear that its business as usual for Westminster. 'We continue to call on the Treasury to use the spending review to change course, providing the funding we need to deliver for the people of Scotland.' The Chancellor said in a speech on Wednesday: 'In a week's time, I will set out a spending review targeted squarely on the renewal of Britain. 'Focused on the priorities of working people. By investing in our security, in our health, and in our economic growth. 'To deliver on the promise of change to make you and your family better off.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
