'Untouchable' directors in £6m NHS bribery scandal cost taxpayers nearly £200k
A multi-million pound corruption and bribery probe involving health boards across Scotland has cost taxpayers' almost £200,000 in legal aid.
Disgraced NHS bosses Alan Hush, 68, and Gavin Cox, 60, were convicted alongside telecoms firm directors Adam Sharoudi, 41, and Gavin Brown, 48, of running a £6m scam.
They were found guilty following a three-month trial at the High Court in Glasgow which revealed ties between Hush and Cox and bosses at Oricom Ltd in Irvine, Ayrshire.
It has now emerged Hush was given £99,420, Cox handed £80,559 and Brown received £1,104 in legal aid to fund defence teams.
No costs have been revealed for Sharoudi, who was awarded legal aid funding this year, but the total for the others stands at £181,083.
The figure could increase further as solicitors have four months following the conclusion of proceedings to claim payments from the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB).
Cox held the post of head of IT and infrastructure at NHS Lanarkshire when he enjoyed hospitality at the Scottish Grand National at Ayr, a night at the Loch Green Hotel in Troon and a slap-up meal at Elliots in Prestwick.
Jurors heard Hush, a former telecommunications manager at NHS Lothian and NHS Scotland video conferencing manager, used the business as the 'Bank of Oricom'.
He was given train tickets, such as on the Eurostar, stays at the Troy and Re Hotels in London, a near £2,000 laptop, an iPad, meals as well as concert tickets to see Paul Simon, Rufus Wainwright and Patti Smith
The NHS pair denied any wrongdoing but were convicted of abusing their powers as 'public servants' to push deals through including one contract worth £3.1m.
In return, Hush, of Edinburgh, got £18,231 of cash bungs and gifts, Cox, of Newton Mearns, near Glasgow, a total of more than £70,000.
The charges spanning between 2010 and 2017 included bribery, corruption, fraud, theft as well as others under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
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One stated Sharoudi and Brown did 'acquire, use and possess' a total of £5,719,244 of 'criminal property' paid by NHS Lothian, NHS Grampian, NHS Lanarkshire, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde as well as NHS Ayrshire and Arran.
The trial heard Oricom started in a garden shed before going on to secure major deals for the supply and maintenance of telecoms and video conferencing equipment.
Contracts awarded to Oricom Ltd, founded by Sharoudi and Brown, for telecoms and video conferencing equipment between 2010 and 2017 breached rules on financial wrongdoing during the tendering process.
An investigation found the company was given 'commercially sensitive information' by former NHS employees Hush and Cox.
All four men were remanded in custody by Lord Arthurson after they were convicted by jurors and are due to be sentenced next month.
The judge described corruption as a 'cancer in public life'.
A SLAB spokesperson said: "All accused persons have the right to a fair trial and legal representation helps ensure that.
"Where appropriate we liaise with defence teams on the costs of an accused's legal representation.
"This case was a very complex and lengthy prosecution following an extensive police investigation involving multiple accused and a significant amount of evidence.
"Cases of this nature inevitably result in significant costs being incurred."
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