A company linked to the husband of Scottish businesswoman Michelle Mone ploughed tens of thousands of pounds into the Conservatives.
The cash - at least £171,480 - was pumped into the party before Doug Barrowman and Baroness Mone are alleged to have benefited from a lucrative PPE deal during the coronavirus pandemic.
The payments were made through UK-registered firm Lancaster Knox LLP, which is part of the 57-year-old businessman's Knox Group, based on the Isle of Man.
Records from the Electoral Commission show donations from May 2017 to June 2019, including three cash sums of £50,000, plus auction prizes totalling more than £17,000.
Our sister title The Mirror reports that leaked HSBC documents, which emerged in November, show that in September 2020, £65m was paid to a trust benefiting Mr Barrowman. An offshore trust linked to bra tycoon Baroness Mone is said to have received £29m, which seemingly originated as profits.
The outlet also states that the 51-year-old businesswoman failed to declare her lobbying to the House of Lords and is currently on leave. Her lawyer has said “she did not benefit financially and was not connected to PPE Medpro”.
The National Crime Agency is probing the PPE Medpro deal. The firm has said that the case will be “rigorously defended”.
A spokesman for Mr Barrowman confirmed the donations were made and “vetted and approved in an open manner”. A spokesman for the Conservatives said: “Donations are properly and transparently declared.”
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