London: The British government has filed a lawsuit against a company at the center of a controversy over the provision of personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic in an attempt to recover lost money.

According to court documents, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) sued PPE Medpro in the High Court of London on Monday.

The Department of Health issued a statement saying, "We can confirm that we have instituted legal proceedings in the High Court against PPE Medpro Limited for breach of contract in respect of gowns supplied under a contract dated 26 June 2020." have started.

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Legal action would make "uncomfortable reading" for the government, according to PPE Medpro, which said it would "refute all of their claims which have been portrayed in a biased manner with a one-sided estimate."

The company has been the subject of controversy for weeks, and earlier this month, a vote won by Britain's main opposition Labor Party called for the release of documents relating to 200 million pounds ($243 million) in personal protective equipment contracts awarded to the company. was forced to.

The government has been accused by opposition politicians of operating in a "chumotantra", awarding contracts to individuals who have personal or business ties to positions of authority, sometimes for PPE that was ultimately useless.

Local media reported that Michelle Mon, a Conservative member of the House of Lords, recommended Medpro to ministers at the start of the pandemic.

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When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in 2020, the government defended its decision to quickly award contracts, claiming that there was a global race for personal protective equipment and that the UK needed to be competitive enough to meet its requirements. was needed.

But since then, the method used to award the contracts has been criticized.

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In 2020-21, the government spent more than £12 billion on protective equipment, according to a report by the Public Accounts Committee earlier this year, of which £4 billion did not meet the standards required by the National Health Service and therefore could not be used. was not used. ,