MICHELLE Mone’s husband Doug Barrowman was told today that his tax fraud trial in Spain WILL go ahead – dashing his hopes of an early acquittal.
The Scottish billionaire businessman, 58, faces up to five and a half years in jail after being accused of taking part in a multi-million tax evasion scam.
Barrowman‘s lawyer had tried to claim it was too late to proceed against the wealthy businessman over the alleged tax offence due to the statute of limitations legislation.
But Borja Castiella’s legal arguments fell on deaf ears as the three judges ruled his trial must go ahead.
State prosecutors want him jailed for three years if convicted of misappropriation and two and a half years for the alleged tax crime.
As well as the prison sentence, prosecutors are also seeking fines between 1.3million and 1.7million for the father-of-four and his fellow defendants on trial.
Barrowman, who has been married to Baroness Mone since 2020, looked downbeat at the start of his five-day trial in the Spanish port city of Santander today.
There was no sign of wife Mone as he sat with his legal team clutching a bottle of water.
Barrowman and Mone are separately being investigated for alleged fraud by Britain’s National Crime Agency over the award of more than £200million in VIP lane Covid contracts in 2020 to PPE Medpro, a company they were both linked to.
Six British associates are also being prosecuted alongside Barrowman for the same offences following a collapsed cable plant venture and also had their applications for a quick dismissal denied.
The prosecution case revolves around an alleged fraudulent £5.3million (€6.3 million) payment that they claim all seven men benefited from.
It is alleged the invoice was made to evade tax and allow them to pocket millions from B3 Cable Solutions via a UK-linked company Axis Ventura in 2008.
Barrowman was the founder of Axis, but left the role four months before the payment was made.
The cable firm later went bust in 2012, resulting in 200 job losses.
The court case marks a new chapter in a long-running saga which initially saw Glasgow-born Barrowman and his business partners cleared of blame over the October 2012 bankruptcy.
A civil court ruled in September 2016 that the bankruptcy, which cost 213 workers their jobs, was “fortuitous” and not “culpable” and they were exonerated.
But prosecutors meanwhile began a new criminal probe during the civil trial.
They claim the invoice was created to “hide a partner payment” and “defraud the Spanish Treasury” out more than half a million euros.
According to court documents, £5million (€6.3million) was declared as donations, and £1.3million (€1.6million) was a corporation tax deduction.
According to court documents, Barrowman admitted he was “one of the negotiators” of the deal, reports The Mirror.
Papers are said to say Barrowman conceded he had received benefits of the commissions paid to Axis.
But Spanish prosecutors are now looking to jail the tycoons – who all deny charges – over the alleged plot.
It comes as Barrowman’s racehorse – the favourite in the Grand National – could be blocked from running.
Monbeg Genius, which Mone bought as an £80,000 wedding gift for Barrowman – is the current 14-1 co-favourite with some bookies for the Aintree blockbuster on April 13.
But the horse could be stopped from running as bosses at the British Horseracing Authority are investigating whether the horse falls under the list of assets, reports The Guardian.
Victory in the world’s most famous race is worth a whopping £500,000.
Mone and her husband had £75m of assets frozen or restrained by a court order last week.
The couple face a NCA investigation into alleged fraud, with assets seized including a six-bedroom London townhouse, Isle of Man country estate and 15 bank accounts.
The CPS applied for the order on the Tory peer and Barrowman under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
The bra tycoon has admitted that she stood to benefit by about £60m from profits on personal protective equipment sold to the Government during Covid by a firm led by him.
Assets can be held for potential confiscation in case of a conviction.
The allegations include conspiracy to defraud and bribery, which they deny.
Last month Michelle faced calls to be expelled from the House of Lords after she admitted lying about the huge profits she could rake in from a controversial Covid contract.
In an interview with the BBC, the couple apologised for denying their role in the deal but insisted they have “no case to answer”.
