A former Labour MP and justice minister, Shahid Malik, has been found not guilty of charges related to his involvement in a fraudulent Covid-19 testing company. The verdict was delivered at Bradford Crown Court on Thursday, where Malik, 58, was cleared of fraudulent trading, causing a public nuisance, and money laundering.

Background

Shahid Malik served as the MP for Dewsbury from 2005 to 2010 and held ministerial positions in three departments during Gordon Brown's government. He was one of five individuals charged in connection with RT Diagnostics, a company accused of exploiting the UK government's expanding test-and-trace system in March 2021.

The trial, which began in October last year, was notably conducted without a jury after an allegation of jury tampering led to the discharge of jurors in April. Judge Smith decided to continue the trial and deliver the verdict himself.

Trial Details

The court heard that Malik co-founded RT Diagnostics with Faisal Shoukat, a pharmacist and former Labour councillor, during the third national lockdown in March 2021. While Malik was acquitted, Shoukat was found guilty of all three charges.

Paul Moore, Malik’s former office manager, was cleared of causing a public nuisance and fraudulent trading. Additionally, Lynn Connell, a manager at RT Diagnostics, and Alexander Zarneh, the clinical director, were also acquitted of the same charges.