Ex-MP Shahid Malik cleared in Covid testing fraud trial

Former MP Shahid Malik has been cleared by a judge of three charges relating to RT Diagnostics, a company accused of fraudulent Covid-19 testing. The trial, held at Bradford Crown Court, concluded without a jury after an allegation of tampering led to the arrest of one juror.

Judge Christopher Smith found Mr Malik, 58, not guilty of fraudulent trading, causing a public nuisance, and money laundering. Prosecutors had alleged that RT Diagnostics was a "cash cow" set up to exploit the Government's expanding test and trace system in March 2021.

Conviction for Co-founder

Faisal Shoukat, 39, a pharmacist and former Labour councillor who co-founded the company with Mr Malik, was found guilty of all three offences. Prosecutors stated that RT Diagnostics operated from "shoddy and inadequate premises" in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and generated a suspiciously low number of positive results.

The court heard that between May and July 2021, only 45 out of over 123,000 tests submitted to the national database were reported as positive. Jonathan Sandiford KC, prosecuting, told the jury that samples were sometimes not tested but dumped, with customers who complained receiving false negative results.

This practice meant individuals who should have been self-isolating were able to go out in public, the court was told. RT Diagnostics was accused of failing to properly handle samples and selling more collection kits than it could process.

Trial Without Jury

The trial began in October last year. Jurors were sent to consider their verdicts in March, but were discharged in April following the jury tampering allegation. Judge Smith subsequently decided to continue the trial and deliver the verdicts himself.

Mr Malik's defence barrister, Jonathan Laidlaw KC, argued that his client's role was "very limited indeed," acting as a facilitator for funding and introductions. He stated that Mr Malik was often out of the country and not informed of the company's issues.

Paul Moore, 57, who held a senior role at RT Diagnostics and was Mr Malik's former office manager, was cleared of causing a public nuisance and fraudulent trading. Lynn Connell, 64, a company manager, and Alexander Zarneh, 70, the clinical director, were also cleared of these two offences.

Next Steps

Shoukat's application for leave to appeal against the judge's decision to continue the trial without a jury was refused by three judges at the Court of Appeal. Reporting restrictions on the case have now been lifted.