Firm at centre of NHS corruption scandal moves business to new company as directors jailed
The firm at the centre of a £6m NHS corruption scandal is set to move its business to a new company linked to its jailed directors.
Four men found guilty following a major investigation into the award of lucrative NHS contracts to an Ayrshire-based telecommunications firm were jailed for a total of 29 years on Thursday.
Oricom directors Adam Sharoudi, 41, and Gavin Brown, 48, secured major deals with the illegal help of NHS telecoms chiefs Alan Hush, 68, and 60 year-old Gavin Cox.
The probe was first revealed by the Daily Record after an NHS counter fraud team swooped on Oricom's offices in Irvine in 2015.
Now a letter to customers from a current Oricom boss has revealed the service is to be managed by a company called Freestyle Communications Limited.
Service Delivery Director David Ross said the change, set to take place from June 19, was 'part of a long-term plan to improve how we deliver your service'.
Convicted directors Brown and Sharoudi were named on Companies House as having 'significant control' of Freestyle in May 2023, but filed a cessation in August last year.
Prosecutors proved, during a mammoth three-month trial, that contracts for the supply and maintenance of telecoms equipment by Oricom broke rules on financial wrongdoing in the tendering process.
Hush was jailed for eight years after being found guilty of nine charges. Cox was locked up for six years for the two jurors convicted him of. Sharoudi was also handed an eight year term having been convicted of seven charges. Brown was jailed for seven years for a total of six.
Lord Arthurson said: "The reach and character of the corruption and, in particular, the corrupt relationship engaged by all of you was on a grand scale.'
Hush was the telecommunications manager at NHS Lothian and then NHS Scotland video conferencing manager. Cox held the post of head of IT and infrastructure at NHS Lanarkshire. The pair abused their powers as 'public servants' to push deals through. One contract alone was worth £3.1m.
In return, Hush got £18,231 of cash bungs and gifts, Cox a total of more than £70,000.
All four men had denied the charges, spanning between 2010 and 2015, included bribery, corruption, fraud, theft as well as others under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
In Oricom's letter to customers, Ross said the firm was 'moving to a dedicated telecoms management company focused solely on service delivery and support'.
He said: 'Your contract terms, pricing, and service all remain unchanged. You'll continue to receive uninterrupted service. You'll still have access to the same support team under the new structure.
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'Why are we making this change? By moving your account to Freestyle Communications, we're simplifying operations and placing service management in the hands of a team 100% focused on telecoms.
'Freestyle Communications is part of the same group and is fully regulated by Ofcom.'
Current directors of Freestyle are named as Ross, Stephanie Brown and Simon Agnew. Brown and Sharoudi resigned as directors of Oricom earlier this month, following their convictions at the High Court in Glasgow.
They have also been banned from being a company director for the next 10 years and will face proceeds of crime proceedings. Over 250 witnesses were also interviewed and tens of thousands of text messages and emails reviewed as part of the probe.
Gordon Young, Head of NHS Scotland Counter Fraud Services it was a 'landmark conviction' of 'individuals who sought to exploit the NHS for personal gain'.
We approached Oricom for comment.
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