Woman arrested over alleged blackmail plot against shamed Tory peer Michelle Mone

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A woman has been arrested over an alleged blackmail plot against Scots business tycoon Douglas Barrowman and his wife, Tory peer Michelle Mone.The unnamed woman, described by police as in her 40s, was arrested at her home in Weybridge, Surrey, last week on suspicion of blackmail and then released on bail after questioning.Detectives from both Surrey Police and the Isle of Man Constabulary are involved in the joint investigation.Millionaire tax consultant Barrowman, 58, who runs the Knox group of companies, and Mone, 52, have a mansion estate on the Isle of Man.Earlier this month, the couple from Glasgow admitted links to PPE Medpro – the company mired in a Covid-19 fraud investigation.PPE Medro was awarded £203 million of taxpayers’ cash for gowns and masks after Mone lobbied Conservative ministers for the firm to be put in a VIP lane for Covid deals.Both she and Barrowman previously denied having any links to the company.

But leaked paperwork suggested it later paid Barrowman about £65million, who then handed £29 million of it to a trust set up to benefit Mone and her three children.Barrowman admitted he had been chairman and main investor in the company, while Mone acted as an intermediary with the Government.Ministers are suing to reclaim £122 million from PPE Medpro as much of the equipment it supplied was defective.Barrowman has also been charged with corporate tax evasion in Spain, where he could face jail if found guilty.

He has denied any wrongdoing.Surrey police said: “The Isle of Man Constabulary are currently engaged in a joint investigation with Surrey Police in relation to an alleged blackmail offence being committed across both jurisdictions.“Police have been working with the aggrieved party and at this