Former Labour MP cleared as ex-councillor convicted over sham Covid testing firm

A judge has convicted Faisal Shoukat and cleared former justice minister Shahid Malik over the fraudulent RT Diagnostics Covid-19 testing company.

• Judge Chris Smith convicted Shoukat of fraudulent trading, causing a public nuisance and money laundering at Bradford Crown Court.
• Judge Smith cleared Malik, Lynn Connell, Paul Moore and Alexander Zarneh of the same offences.
• The jury was discharged in April after a member was arrested over alleged jury tampering; the judge decided the verdicts alone.
• The Halifax lab reported 123,104 tests between May and July 2021, with only 45 returning positive.