British high speed project HS2 accused of massive fraud

The HS2 scheme has been accused of fraud. The allegations include “outrageous mismanagement” at a time when costs are rising and the government is cutting funding.

– Originally intended to connect large parts of the country, critics say the route is now shorter than a shuttle between West London and Birmingham. Now The Sunday Times in the UK has published a detailed report that whistleblowers concerned about the situation were bought into silence and offered generous severance terms.

High costs

Over the weekend, the alleged cover-up efforts about HS2 became public in a wide-ranging newspaper inquiry. The Sunday Times in the UK has published claims by whistleblowers that the UK Parliament was kept in the dark about the true costs of HS2. They claim that elected members were unaware of the actual (higher) costs when they voted on legislation related to the project. One outraged insider went so far as to call the deal a “fraud on the British people”.

Whistleblowers at HS2 Ltd, the company overseeing the high-speed rail project, allege attempts by senior management to undercut the true cost of HS2. These insiders say they were instructed to misrepresent the financial situation in order to receive billions of pounds of funding.

He refuses

HS2 vehemently denies any wrongdoing. In an interview with British radio media, respected travel journalist Simon Calder said he was surprised to read that whistleblowers’ concerns were routinely dismissed rather than addressed.

A report in the Sunday Times quoted HS2 officials as saying they were desperate for new ways to cut costs on the project. As prices soared, top officials were reportedly allowed to take extreme measures, including destroying documents and firing dissenting employees, to keep the program from collapsing under the weight of its financial burdens.

The information is expected to develop into a wider scandal in the Sunday Times. It threatens to damage the credibility of the UK government and raises pressing questions about the management of public funds. The seriousness of the allegations has prompted an internal review by HS2’s dedicated fraud unit, which is tasked with investigating claims of deliberate concealment of the real costs of the project. In response, HS2 strongly denies wrongdoing and reaffirms its commitment to transparency and accountability.

Source: Sunday Times