MICHELLE Mone and her husband have had around £75 million of assets linked to them hit by a court order, it has emerged.
Prosecutors have frozen or otherwise restrained the assets held by Mone and Doug Barrowman, which include nine properties in Glasgow’s Park Circus, a London townhouse, an Isle of Man estate and 15 bank accounts.
The properties in Glasgow, owned through companies in the Isle of Man, cannot be sold but any rental income from them is unrestrained.
It comes amid the couple facing a National Crime Agency investigation into PPE fraud.
The court order from December, seen by the Financial Times (FT), blocks the couple from selling some of the assets and places restrictions on some others.
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It came as “a result of a consensual process during which negotiations took place with the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service],” a spokesperson for Mone and Barrowman told the paper.
They said: “It allows the wider businesses and assets of the Barrowman family to operate normally and free from any restrictions or uncertainties.
“Doug and Michelle did not contest the application and were happy to offer up these assets, which means they can begin the task of proving their innocence more quickly.”
Restraint orders are usually sought during a criminal investigation and restrict assets for potential confiscation, should the subject be convicted.
Among the assets restrained is the 6000sq ft house in Belgravia, central London, which features a sauna and steam room and a purple-carpeted cinema room.
It was bought in 2020 for nearly £9.25m for redevelopment according to Knox Group, which is chaired by Barrowman.
It has been on the market for £25m and its sale is permitted if the CPS is notified in advance.
The proceeds of any sale should also be held in a UK bank account agreed by the agency, according to the FT.
READ MORE: BBC gets over 150 complaints about 'bias in favour of Michelle Mone'
Mone and Barrowman have been the subject of media scrutiny after PPE Medpro – her husband’s company - was awarded government contracts worth more than £200m following a recommendation by the Baroness.
Mone, who has insisted she remains a member of the Conservatives despite denials from party bosses, admitted she stood to benefit from the £60m of profit accrued from the “VIP lane” contract last month.
The UK government sued PPE Medpro in December 2022, claiming a breach of contract because the quality of protective gowns the company sold was inadequate. PPE Medpro has denied the goods were faulty and is contesting the lawsuit.
The NCA is now investigating the couple concerning “allegations of conspiracy to defraud, fraud by false representation, and bribery, which they both categorically deny”.
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