Former Baroness Michelle Mone is permitted to retain around £15,000 per week in rent from a mansion that is subject to a freezing order, according to recent revelations.
The ex-Conservative peer and her spouse had £75 million worth of assets frozen by a court order two years ago while authorities investigated a contract to provide PPE, similar to the FBI in the United States. However, the order has been modified to allow them to keep the rental income from a £25 million property while the PPE deal remains under scrutiny.
Situated in Belgravia, central London, the mansion is owned by a firm based in the Isle of Man that is linked to the business activities of Mone’s husband, Doug Barrowman, aged 60. The company acquired the Grade-II listed property for £9.25 million in December 2020.
Approval was granted for renovations on the Belgravia property, including the construction of a basement for a cinema room and spa facilities. Initially listed for sale at £25 million, the property underwent planning permission changes.
The alteration to the freezing order, as reported by The Times, was sanctioned by Judge Tony Baumgartner, the Recorder of Westminster, during a purportedly confidential session at Southwark Crown Court. The judge clarified, “Any rental income from this property is not restricted, and there are no limitations on how this income can be utilized.”
Operating under Mr. Barrowman’s leadership, PPE Medpro secured a £122 million government contract to supply PPE during the pandemic. However, following a High Court ruling in October, the company was instructed to reimburse the funds due to contract breaches.
Both Baroness Mone and Mr. Barrowman have refuted any allegations of misconduct and have not been formally charged.
With a reported debt of £148 million owed to the Department of Health, PPE Medpro entered liquidation at the Insolvency and Companies Court last month. Additionally, the company is said to owe HMRC £39 million. In response to the High Court’s decision in October, Mone criticized it as “shocking yet unsurprising,” characterizing it as a victory for the government in a high-stakes case.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/terms-conditions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" data-testid="cipa-terms-and-conditions
