We are pleased to be able to tell you that the Court has granted a cost-capping order in our judicial review over the award of huge #PPE contracts, without advertisement or competition, to #Pestfix (a pest control company), #Ayanda (an opaque private fund owned through a tax haven) and #Clandeboye (a confectionery wholesaler).
After Government said it would cost an unbelievable £1 million pounds to defend the case, we asked the Court to cap our exposure to Government’s legal costs at £100k. We are a small not-for-profit that relies on #crowdfunding. After reviewing our fundraising efforts for the case so far and looking at what we have saved for a rainy day, this is the figure we could afford.
Instead, the Court has granted a cost-capping order of £250k. It means that if we lose the case, we are liable to pay a quarter of a million pounds to Government, as well as needing to cover our own legal costs. Despite huge support from members of the public, generous individuals and organisations, we are still short.
But we will not be bullied out by costs. This case, which we are bringing alongside EveryDoctor, is simply too important.
In awarding the cost-capping order, the Judge seemed to agree:
“All citizens are likely to have an interest in whether or not the procurement on the part of the government is done using good governance procedures and integrity. And therefore there is a real wider public interest that has been represented by the claimant group, which is a not-for-profit group, in bringing this challenge.”
We will fight this case to its conclusion. The case will be heard in Court in May.
If you are in a position to donate to the legal challenge, you can do so here: https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/108million/
Thank you,
Jolyon Maugham
Director of Good Law Project
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