THE SPANISH INQUISITION

Doug Barrowman fails in bid to have case thrown out

- GERARD COUZENS

THE billionaire husband of Tory peer Michelle Mone could face up to five years in jail if found guilty of tax fraud and embezzlement in Spain.

Doug Barrowman, 58, yesterday failed in a bid to have the case thrown out after judges ruled he must face court action that could see him jailed for five years.

As well as prison sentences, prosecutors are also seeking fines of between £1.3million and £1.7million for each of the defendants on conviction.

Ultimo lingerie tycoon Michelle Mone, 52, currently on a House of Lords leave of absence amid an ongoing UK probe into alleged Covid PPE fraud involving her and her husband, opted to stay away from the start of the trial.

The couple have had £75million of assets frozen or restrained under a court order as part of the National Crime Agency's probe into PPE Medpro, a company led by Barrowman.

That probe is separate to the ongoing Spanish trial and has no bearing on it.

Prosecutors in Spain have accused Barrowman and six other British businessmen of illegal dealings around the £15.3million purchase of a Spanish cable-making company, which later went bankrupt with the loss of more than 200 jobs.

The case against Barrowman centres on a £5.1million invoice paid out by the Spanish firm to a UK company founded by the Scots tycoon.

Barrowman's lawyer Borja Castiella yesterday claimed Spanish laws meant it was too late to proceed against him over the alleged tax offence and it was "improper" to accuse him of embezzlement.

But the three judges ruled Barrowman's trial should go ahead. Six associates being prosecuted alongside Barrowman for the same alleged offences at a court in the northern Spanish port city of Santander also had their applications for a quick dismissal denied.