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Former councillor Faisal Shoukat faces jail after being found guilty of running bogus Covid-19 testing lab
Overview
Faisal Shoukat, a former Calderdale Council councillor and director of Halifax-based RT Diagnostics, has been found guilty of causing public nuisance, fraudulent trading, and money laundering. Operating in 2021, the firm generated over £1.5m for Shoukat by failing to test thousands of samples and issuing false negative results, posing a serious infection risk to the public. Judge Chris Smith warned Shoukat that all sentencing options are open ahead of his sentencing on 4 December. His five co-defendants, including former justice minister Shahid Malik, were cleared of wrongdoing.
Key points
- Faisal Shoukat was found guilty of causing public nuisance, fraudulent trading, and money laundering as director of RT Diagnostics.
- The Halifax-based company failed to test thousands of samples, instead dumping them in a room and issuing fake negative results.
- The bogus testing lab generated over £1.5m in dividends for Shoukat during the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Judge Chris Smith warned that Shoukat faces jail, with sentencing scheduled for 4 December.
- Five co-defendants, including former MP and justice minister Shahid Malik, were cleared of any wrongdoing.