Michelle Mone, under immense scrutiny to return a staggering sum of tens of millions to the UK taxpayers following a dramatic court ruling linked to the PPE scandal, seems to have set her sights on other ventures for her and her husband Douglas Barrowman’s finances.
Rumors have been circulating about the former lingerie mogul’s potential move to the United States. The Mail on Sunday can now confirm that the couple has secured a lavish four-bedroom, five-bathroom apartment valued at £10 million on Florida’s exclusive Fisher Island, often dubbed ‘Billionaire Island’.
In a twist of irony, the purchase of this expansive luxury residence took place in July, merely three months before the High Court mandated PPE Medpro, a company under Mr. Barrowman’s leadership, to reimburse £122 million to the UK Government for delivering subpar surgical gowns during the Covid crisis.
Fisher Island, a secluded paradise accessible solely by boat or helicopter, is renowned for its position among the wealthiest locales in the United States, based on income per capita. It is home to some of the nation’s most opulent properties.
The enclave’s glittering roster of celebrity homeowners has featured illustrious names such as Hollywood icons Julia Roberts and Mel Brooks, as well as television titan Oprah Winfrey. Additionally, Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, owns a residence in the vicinity.
According to The Mail on Sunday, the couple underwent a stringent vetting procedure conducted by the Fisher Island Club’s elite committee, which presides over the enclave’s exclusive community, before their purchase received the green light.
Their almost 5,000 sq ft corner apartment in an exclusive waterfront building boasts a wraparound terrace with spectacular views over Miami Beach, Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The state-of-the-art pad has private lift entry and a kitchen with craftsman-designed features, granite countertops and top-end appliances.
Mr Barrowman, a keen golfer, has access to a nine-hole course just moments from his door, while Baroness Mone, 54, can explore the compound’s fitness centre and hair salon. A number of sources have spotted the pair at the island’s luxury restaurants.
Baroness Michelle Mone, 54, poses in a bikini on Florida’s Fisher Island which is nicknamed ‘Billionaire’s Island’
The Mail on Sunday can reveal Mone and her husband Douglas Barrowman have purchased a £10 million four-bedroom, five-bathroom apartment on Florida’s Fisher Island (pictured)
The enclave also has two marinas, although the couple have sold their £6.8 million 40ft yacht Lady M.
The revelations come after this newspaper revealed Lady Mone, who is facing calls to quit the Lords over her links to the PPE scandal, wanted to escape the UK.
She and Mr Barrowman, 60, have begun offloading some of their British property empire, including their £19 million London townhouse and two Glasgow properties.
Mark Williams-Thomas, who is representing Lady Mone, told The Mail on Sunday that Mr Barrowman’s firm had bought the property and the couple were staying there on and off while renovating it.
He said: ‘Mr Barrowman is a professional investor who for the past 35 years has bought and sold all manner of assets. The property arm of his group recently bought a property on Fisher Island, Miami, with a view to refurbishment followed by resale.’
Earlier this month, a judge ruled that the 25 million Chinese-made surgical gowns supplied by PPE Medpro when Covid struck in 2020 had not been properly sterilised. Lady Mone, made a peer by David Cameron in 2015, was said to have recommended the company to the Government via the so-called ‘VIP lane’ on the very day PPE Medpro was created in May 2020.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has demanded the company repay the cash in full, saying: ‘We want our money back.’
PPE Medpro has missed the October 15 deadline to pay and the firm has filed for administration, so recovering the funds could prove impossible. Its barristers claimed the firm had been ‘singled out’ and the gowns became defective because the NHS had not stored them properly.
The Fisher Island condo was sold by estate agent Jill Eber, who cited client confidentiality when asked about the sale.
