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Media: Leaked footage exposing Matt Hancock's affair with his aide could be a deliberate plot

According to Sputnik, the Daily Mail reported that leaked CCTV footage exposing Matt Hancock’s extramarital affair with aide Gina Coladangelo could have been part of a deliberate plot to oust him by someone motivated by opposition to his stance on COVID-19. plot
Images believed to be from a camera inside the former UK Health Secretary’s private Department of Health office and published by The Sun showed Matt Hancock and Gina Coladangelo, both married and with three children, kissing each other at his Whitehall office.
The smooching was captured at a time when hugging anyone from outside your household was banned, in line with pandemic guidelines.
As Hancock resigned amid the furore triggered by the incident, there have been speculations that the images came from a “rogue” security guard or “whistleblower” staff member at the department.
Now it has transpired that a ‘highly successful’ anti-lockdown entrepreneur allegedly offered the scoop to a prominent political journalist five days before they were published and went viral.
Sputnik reported that Political journalist and broadcaster Isabel Oakeshott has written in The Spectator to deplore how she missed “the scoop” on Hancock. plot
According to Oakeshott, she had been sent a compromising picture of the-then health secretary and his aide days before the Sun dropped the bombshell leaked images. A message from a contact of hers - a “highly successful entrepreneur” - had suggested that a “guy” had incriminating footage of Matt Hancock.
Accompanying the text was a “grainy image, no bigger than a postage stamp, of a man in a suit, leaning forward to embrace a raven-haired woman in a figure-hugging dress.” The picture had been sent via an untraceable ProtonMail account. According to the journalist, the image looked “nothing like Matt Hancock”.
Also, the journalist noticed there was something dodgy about the image, which appeared to show an extra hand on the woman’s back. Oakeshott decided the image looked as if it had been doctored, and asked to see more footage of the alleged incident. plot
While her contact agreed that his source was “probably a chancer”, the original supplier of the video ostensibly discussed arrangements for sending the full video, but instead turned to the Sun.
Isabel Oakeshott was left nursing the fact she had “let down” her contact - an “anti-establishment figure with a dim view of politicians in general and a particular disdain for the architects of the lockdown policy”. She claims the source would have “relished his part in exposing Hancock’s hypocrisy.” She also had to reconcile herself with the fact that this “political scalp” was one that got away from her.
Meanwhile, Emcor UK, the company responsible for security in the building on Victoria Street, confirmed on Wednesday that it was helping the Department of Health and Social Care with its probe into the leak.
It is believed there is a digital record of anyone from among security staff who had access to the CCTV footage in the Department of Health, and might have surreptitiously recorded it on their phone. MPs and security experts have called for a police inquiry into the security breach.
On 26 June the then-UK Health Minister Matt Hancock resigned after he found himself in the centre of an adultery scandal involving his close aide, Gina Coladangelo.
After British media leaked a photo and video of the pair, both married, kissing in his office and breaching coronavirus guidelines, Hancock was under immense pressure to quit.
In May, when the captured incident ostensibly occurred, England was at Stage 2 of the restrictions, which did not allow gatherings of two people indoors except for work purposes, but only if a gathering was "reasonably necessary".
One senior member of the Conservative Party was cited by UK media as saying it "beggared belief" that the former health secretary, who had prohibited casual meetings during the pandemic for a year, was himself caught violating his rules.
Coladangelo’s appointment in November 2020 had also sparked criticisms of ‘chumocracy’, as Hancock failed to declare he had given the role to his close university friend. She was initially recruited as an unpaid adviser in the DHSC on a six-month contract last year. Subsequently, the woman was appointed as a non-executive director at the department.
Earlier, the embattled Hancock was "targeted" by former top Downing Street aide, Dominic Cummings, who accused him of "criminal, disgraceful behaviour" at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Cummings also claimed that PM Johnson had called Hancock "hopeless" over his handling of the first wave of the pandemic.
Since the revelation of the romance between the pair, who have been friends for decades, Gina Coladangelo has reportedly left her husband, Oliver Tress, founder of British retailer Oliver Bonas, to move in with the ex-Health Secretary. Hancock is also alleged to have left his wife. plot
Source: Sputnik
Image source: AP-Sputnik
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BENEFIT AGM approves 10%...
- March 27, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).
Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.
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