U.K. — Joint liquidators from Interpath Advisory have launched a legal case against six individuals and five companies linked with PPE Medpro. Baroness Michelle Mone and Doug Barrowman are among the individuals being sued in an effort to retrieve funds owed to the government by PPE Medpro.

The government was awarded £122 million plus interest from PPE Medpro after a court ruled the firm breached a contract to supply sterile surgical gowns. A High Court ruling stated that PPE Medpro failed to provide evidence that its surgical gowns had undergone a validated sterilization process.

PPE Medpro was established in 2020. The company then secured its initial government contract to deliver masks via a procurement channel known as the 'VIP lane.' Baroness Mone, who sat in the House of Lords as a Conservative peer, recommended PPE Medpro for the government contract. By the end of 2022, the government had sued PPE Medpro, alleging that the medical gowns supplied did not comply with relevant healthcare standards.

Doug Barrowman and Baroness Mone were not listed as directors of PPE Medpro. However, in a 2023 interview, Mr. Barrowman confirmed he was the ultimate beneficial owner of PPE Medpro. Baroness Mone also admitted in a 2023 interview that she was a beneficiary of a trust which had received some of the profits from PPE Medpro.

The individuals being sued include four former directors of PPE Medpro, one of whom is accountant Arthur Lancaster. At the time of its liquidation, PPE Medpro had less than £1 million on its balance sheet. HMRC submitted a claim for £39 million against PPE Medpro for unpaid taxes. The Department for Health and Social Care stated that the recovery of funds was a responsibility of the appointed liquidators. The National Crime Agency is conducting a criminal investigation into PPE Medpro.