Janice R. Andrews
Transparency International UK conducted a thorough investigation that revealed possible corruption in over 5,000 government contracts connected to the COVID-19 epidemic, including those involving the purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE). The contracts worth an astounding £15 billion were given out during the Tory administration.
After examining the procurement procedures of 400 public entities, Transparency International determined that 135 contracts, totaling £15.3 billion, were deemed “high-risk” because of a number of suspicious factors, such as contracts given without competitive bidding, connections to politically linked companies, and the supply of defective goods. The results have led to demands for a formal inquiry.
Notably, a “VIP lane” was used to accelerate 51 contracts worth £4 billion, circumventing the normal procedures and using recommendations from MPs. This practice was declared illegal in 2022. Concerns about mismanagement were raised when the study also found that roughly £10 billion had been spent on PPE that was either faulty or useless.
As public concern over the misuse of pandemic resources intensifies, Transparency International has encouraged the Covid counter-fraud commissioner to recover public monies lost to allegedly fraudulent acts.
