Corruption inquiry in NHS: Eight in the dock
Eight people, including former senior health board staff, have appeared in court following a corruption investigation into NHS contracts in Scotland.
The accused include former communications and IT managers at NHS Ayrshire and Arran, Greater Glasgow, Lanarkshire and Lothian, as well as directors of an Ayrshire telecoms firm.
The six men and two women appeared in court in private earlier this month on a total of 46 charges, including bribery and fraud allegations, six years after investigations began.
In 2015 an NHS counterfraud team raided the offices of Irvine firm Oricom, which provided phone and IT maintenance deals to health boards.
The eight accused appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court over the past fortnight and include Oricom directors Adam Sharoudi and Gavin Brown and former director David Bailey, who resigned in 2013.
Sharoudi, 38, of Motherwell, faces 12 charges linked to corruption in office, bribery, fraud and Proceeds of Crime. Brown, 44, of Prestwick, faces 12 charges under the same legislation, including one of theft. Bailey, 44, of Cheshire, was charged with one offence relating to corruption in office, one under fraudulent scheme legislation and four of bribery.
NHS Lanarkshire’s former head of IT infrastructure, Gavin Cox, 56, from Glasgow, faces two charges of bribery and fraud. NHS Lothian former head of telecoms, Alan Hush, 65, of Edinburgh, faces eight charges linked to corruption in office, bribery, fraud and theft legislation.
NHS Greater Glasgow former director for health information and technology Robert Wright, 60, from Hamilton, faces two charges under the Bribery Act. NHS Ayrshire and Arran former employee Rhona Orr, 61, of North Ayrshire, was charged with three offences of corruption in office, theft and bribery. Lynne Cox, 53, of Glasgow, faces a charge under Proceeds of Crime.
All made no plea and were released on bail, to return to court at a later date. The health boards linked to the case said they were unable to comment at this time.