Hospital boss pays hubby £20,000 from hospital budget which ‘he used to buy MacBook Pro,’ but pair deny fraud
Exeter Crown Court heard the NHS chief failed to declare her interest when her spouse was paid for hospital work
AN NHS boss fraudulently paid her husband £20,000, a jury heard.
Paula Vasco-Knight, 53, failed to declare an interest when husband, Stephen, 46, was paid for health service work.
She headed South Devon NHS and equalities for NHS England.
The former nurse, of Runcorn, Cheshire, was the national lead for equalities for NHS England, with a budget of £200,000.
Exeter Crown Court heard she failed to declare her interest when her husband, Stephen Vasco-Knight, 46, was paid for NHS work.
She allegedly commissioned him to produce a £9,000 newsletter as part of her equalities work, and a £11,072 document for leadership development.
Jurors were told the £11,072 payment was to produce a 200-page document entitled Transform, which was never submitted to the NHS.
Prosecuting, Gareth Evans said Mrs Vasco-Knight was legally bound to declare her interest in her husband's company but failed to do so.
She should have done this as part of the NHS's Standing Financial Instructions, which prevent public money from being used corruptly.
Mrs Vasco-Knight was CEO of the trust, which is based in Torbay, Devon, until her resignation in May 2014.
The couple, of Runcorn, Cheshire, deny fraud.
NHS manager Habib Naqvi, 39, of Bristol, denies encouraging or assisting her.
The trial continues at Exeter crown court.