Four men have been sentenced to custody following a major corruption and bribery investigation involving NHS health boards across Scotland, centring on the awarding of multimillion-pound contracts to an Ayrshire-based telecommunications company, Oricom Ltd.
The individuals convicted include Adam Sharoudi, 41, and Gavin Brown, 48, who jointly ran Oricom Ltd. This company evolved from humble beginnings in a garden shed to becoming a significant player in telecoms supply and maintenance contracts for NHS Scotland. Alongside them were Alan Hush, 68, former telecommunications manager at NHS Lothian and later video conferencing manager for NHS Scotland, and Gavin Cox, 60, former head of IT and infrastructure at NHS Lanarkshire.
Investigations revealed that these health board contracts, valued at approximately £6 million, were secured through breaches of financial regulations in the tendering process. The contracts covered the provision and maintenance of telecoms and video conferencing equipment. One particular contract alone was worth over £3 million.
During the trial held at the High Court in Glasgow, it was established that Hush and Cox exploited their positions as public officials to advance Oricom’s interests illicitly. Hush received cash payments and gifts totalling £18,231, while Cox received over £70,000. These payments included train tickets, hotel stays, expensive electronic devices, meals, concert tickets, and holiday vouchers. The courts also heard evidence of close personal and extensive communication between Hush and Sharoudi, including affectionate and playful exchanges, with Hush referring to Sharoudi as “hunk” and Sharoudi calling him “stud”.
The defendants faced charges spanning from 2010 to 2017, including bribery, corruption, fraud, theft, and offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Sharoudi and Brown were accused of acquiring and using more than £5.7 million of criminal property paid by various NHS boards, including NHS Lothian, NHS Grampian, NHS Lanarkshire, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and NHS Ayrshire and Arran.
All four men denied the charges over the course of a three-month trial, during which they gave evidence. However, after over eight days of jury deliberation, they were found guilty in April. Lord Arthurson, presiding over the case, remanded them in custody pending sentencing scheduled for 5 June in Edinburgh. He described corruption as a “cancer in public and commercial life” and warned the accused to expect “significant custodial sentences.”
Oricom was established in 2008 by engineer Gavin Brown and David Bailey, later joined by Sharoudi as a director. The firm grew rapidly, acquiring contracts with several NHS boards, with Brown asserting in court that their motivation was to provide a superior service to well-known companies in the sector. Despite this, a 2015 raid on Oricom’s offices by NHS Scotland Counter Fraud Services marked the start of the investigation into contract awarding irregularities.
During testimony, Hush claimed that payments he received were from a now deceased father who had once given him sums of cash, which Hush suggested were mistaken for bribes. Cox similarly denied accepting bribes, asserting that large sums of money were inherited and used to finance home improvements.
Prosecutors detailed a pattern of deceptive practices, including forged quotes to facilitate Oricom’s contract awards. They also highlighted instances of undue influence, hospitality, and gifts to NHS officials, referring to a lack of fair competition in the tendering processes.
Additional allegations surfaced concerning Alexander “Sandy” Stewart, an NHS Lanarkshire telecoms official who passed away, with prosecutors claiming Oricom secured contracts worth nearly £700,000 through bribery involving him.
The four men are also subject to proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act and actions by prosecutors to bar Sharoudi and Brown from acting as company directors in the future. The cases represent significant enforcement action against corruption within public sector contracts in Scotland.
Source: Noah Wire Services