Lucrative contracts were handed out by NHS managers in return for cash and gifts across the country.

Four men have been convicted in a £6m corruption and bribery probe at health boards across Scotland.

The group was charged following investigations into the award of lucrative NHS contracts to an Ayrshire–based telecommunications firm.

Adam Sharoudi, 41, and Gavin Brown, 48, ran Oricom Ltd, a firm that started from a garden shed and went on to secured major deals.

However, prosecutors said the contracts for the supply and maintenance of telecoms and video conferencing equipment broke the rules regarding financial wrongdoing in the tendering process.

The Oricom bosses were illegally aided by Alan Hush, 68, and 60-year-old Gavin Cox.

Hush was the telecommunications manager at NHS Lothian and then NHS Scotland’s video conferencing manager.

Cox held the post of head of IT and infrastructure at NHS Lanarkshire.

The pair abused their powers as “public servants” to push deals through.

One contract alone was worth £3.1m.

In return, Hush got £18,231 of cash bungs and gifts, Cox a total of more than £70,000.

All four men denied the accusations during a three-month trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

But on Tuesday, jurors – after more than eight days of deliberations – found them guilty and they each face lengthy sentences when they return to the dock next month.

https://news.stv.tv/scotland/four-men-convicted-over-6-5m-nhs-scotland-corruption-and-bribery