Jogesh Bhandari jailed for eight years over Covid PPE glove fraud

Left · 2Jogesh Bhandari was sentenced to eight years in prison on Friday 16 October 2026 for defrauding companies out of millions of pounds through sham personal protective equipment (PPE) deals during the Covid-19 pandemic. 1 2 Left · 1The Daily Mirror says Bhandari pretended he could supply millions of boxes of nitrile gloves in the US and Germany between late 2020 and early 2022, defrauding US company Med18 and German firm MedTech by sending contracts for equipment he did not have. 1 Left · 1Metro says Bhandari, his wife Meenakshi (Meena) Bhandari and Craig Morris received more than £5 million after offering to supply 12 million boxes of gloves to British and American hospitals. It says a US Assistant Attorney General in Louisiana, Frank Labruzzo, helped set up the sham firm by providing a fake account to hold the funds. 2

Left · 2Instead of buying the goods, the money paid for a £126,000 Porsche, an Audi A5, a Land Rover Discovery, Rolex watches and holidays. Metro adds a VW Golf, jewellery, and a home and kitchen refurbishment. 1 2 Left · 2The court heard Bhandari retained £1.75 million during the fraud. Metro reports that Bhandari immediately pocketed more than £300,000 to pay off debts and that Morris claimed £200,000. 1 2 Left · 1Bhandari and Morris, 43, were found guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and money laundering after a five-week trial at Leicester Crown Court. Judge William Harbage KC called Bhandari the "driving force" and "directing mind" of the company Banton, and said remorse expressed in a letter to the court was "difficult to accept given how vigorously you contested these charges". 1

Left · 2Morris received three years and nine months in prison. Meenakshi Bhandari, 58, a former pharmacist, was found guilty of money laundering and given a two-year sentence suspended for two years, with 250 hours of unpaid work. The Mirror also reports 15 days of rehabilitation activity. 1 2 Left · 1Metro reports that analysis of 47,000 messages between Morris and the Bhandaris showed Morris agreeing to pose as a "previous satisfied customer", and that he received regular £5,000 payments until 2021, when the relationship broke down. The trio were arrested in February 2023, and Jogesh Bhandari twice failed to attend court, citing health problems, and was brought to court on a bench arrest warrant. 2 Left · 1Defence barrister Dominic Bardill told the court Bhandari had been of good character, was "completely out of his depth", and had lost everything. Bardill said Bhandari attempted to take his own life after being convicted and faces divorce proceedings. The court also heard that Bhandari pretended to have cancer, which Bardill called a "spur of the moment lie". 1

Left · 1Paul Boniface, operations manager at the National Crime Agency, said the defendants targeted legitimate businesses to fund a lavish lifestyle while healthcare facilities lacked PPE, and that the NCA will continue to target such fraudsters. 2