Forum Topic

Corrupt Corruption

As the News looks at Belarus and Lebanon maybe we should look at corruption nearer to home. Are the three kicked out for accepting gifts/bribes from the Wandsworth Council's facilities department the same or related to the five suspended last year for similar offences. As countries around the world show corruption which can start with "innocent " nods and winks can turn into total disaster. We should salute the action but worry about how systemic the rot might be.

Hugh Thompson ● 2066d11 Comments

It's another privatising cost-cutting disaster which costs more much more than it saves.    Blind ideology.  There are some things you should snd could be more prepared for.

Philippa Bond ● 2065d

I don't think you understood what I wrote. I suggest you give it another read as it sounds to me like we are in agreement.Westminster corruption in the placing of contracts to buy PPE. Tories giving hand-outs to their mates. WHO was for emphasis. Not W.H.O.

Michael Winstanley ● 2065d

I am sorry to disagree with you for the second time tonight, but disagree with you I do, and rather vehemently. As you say, given the urgency with which PPE had to be acquired, one would have expected HMG to "just buy them" through established distributors.  I would agree, but there were some 16,000 established British firms who volunteered to do this — yet they all claimed they were not contacted.  Instead, over £2b were spent on PPE on firms that had no idea on how to do this, had no infrastructure to do so, and no PPE was produced but payments were made.  A case of who you know and not what you know? Or is it a case of Grayling giving a contract for ferries to a firm that had none and had never run a ferry service? Captain or Detective Inspector hindsight will probably investigate this rather easily, but will they be successful?  I wonder why you bring WHO into the equation?  It baffles me. I honestly think you do not need to go to Geneva, just to Westminster. Another question, do you have children by any chance?  Does any of the above worry you for their future?

Ivonne Holliday ● 2065d

I suspect that even if that were true, that would only be at 1/10 of the price paid. Given the urgency with which PPE had to be acquired, one would have expected HMG to "just buy them" through established distributers.Not encourage their mates to set up shell companies through which they could be bought at a premium.Captain hindsight (hopefully Detective Inspector hindsight) should now examine WHO was involved, WHAT their relationship was to members of government and their advisors and WHAT the payoffs were.

Michael Winstanley ● 2065d

My understanding is that it was possible to check whether the certification regarding some of the PPE was issued by a valiud certification authority fortyhat type of goods. That's a obligation that any competent purchasing manager would put on the supplier - I'd say it should be part of standard T&Cs. Failure to do that should be a breach of contract with the supplier responsible for a refund. As a taxpayer I would expect that and failure to be investigated ... and if necessary identity any mitigating reasons for not doing that.

Michael Ixer ● 2065d

I suspect whilst they are not good in a surgical setting they can be resold to the general public to shop etc.I am a little surprised at the media hype on some of the mistakes re PPE. After all they were lambasting the govt for failures to purchase quick enough and to throw the rule book out of the window and 'just buy them' . All a bit tacky to me of course mistakes were made in the scurry to correct earlier mistakes . Seems the papers and captain hindsight will pick up any errors made whilst it was they pressurizing the govt to get on with it.

Andy Pike ● 2065d

We all paid for it Barbara.

Matt Palmer ● 2065d

What about all the Government spent on face masks that are useless. Who pays for that waste of money.

Barbara Stevens ● 2065d

Noit forgetting the PPE, testing kits, and test & track systems that aren't up to standard so either can't be used or are having to be reorganised ... 

Michael Ixer ● 2065d

The good law project has already started judicial review process on three dodgy contracts, hopefully this will shed some lighthttps://goodlawproject.org/case/procurement-case/"we already know of three vast – and inexplicable – procurement contracts for PPE. £108m went to a tiny pest control company with net assets of £18,000, Pestfix. Another £108m went to a modestly sized confectioner in Northern Ireland, Clandeboye Agencies. And another contract, worth £252m, was awarded to Ayanda, an opaque private fund owned through a tax haven. There is no evidence that either of these companies had previously had any experience in supplying PPE."

Matt Palmer ● 2065d

It may start higher up. At least if you believe Nazir Afzal.https://twitter.com/nazirafzal/status/1292208936372895745I quote:“Track the Covid contractsTrace the moneyNo transparencyNo competitionNo accountabilityIt’s not an inquiry we need, but a criminal investigation under police caution

Jonathan Callaway ● 2065d