THREE men jailed for their parts in a massive fraud against the NHS have been ordered to pay back more than £560,000 within three months or face further prison time.

Robert Howells, 66, of Sedbury, who was jailed for four years in November has been told he will have spend another seven months behind bars if he fails to meet the deadline for paying £13,248.24 to the Powys Teaching Health Board in mid Wales.

Ringleader Mark Evill, of Shirenewton near Chepstow will have five years and five months added to his seven-year sentence if he does not pay the health board compensation of £549,688.75.

Michael Cope, of Garden City, Merthyr is serving three years and will have 14 days added if he does not pay £559.96.

The orders were handed down at Swansea Crown Court last week under the Proceeds of Crime Act following an investigation by NHS Counter Fraud Service Wales.

Despite the £563,496 compensation claimed, it is still thousands of pounds short of the £822,236 the gang defrauded.

The amount the men pay back could increase.

The Counter Fraud Service says that it will seek to recover any assets or money that becomes available to the fraudsters in future.

Investigators will periodically revisit the men’s wealth to see if any further money can be recovered through the Proceeds of Crime Act.

At the original hearing last year, Merthyr Crown Court was told that the gang used the real names of U2 rock stars on invoices.

Evill, who spent the cash on holidays in Dubai and a luxury lifestyle, was contrac- ted by the health board as a project manager.

As part of the fraud, he awarded a £342,000 water and electrical supply contract to “George Morgan Ltd”, thought to be named after his dog, which he owned,

Howells had denied knowing of the fraud but the case against him was proved with the court being told he was bought an £11,000 Ford Focus for his part in the crime.

The fraud came to light after a call to an NHS whistleblowers’ hotline.

Speaking after the confiscation order was made on Friday (September 20), Cheryl Hill, the deputy operational fraud manager at NHS Counter Fraud Wales, said: “Today’s result sends out a clear message that those found to have defrauded the NHS will not only face prosecution, but that the money stolen will be pursued to ensure that it goes back where it belongs.

“Evill, Howells and Cope were greedy in their bid to re-direct NHS funds into their own pockets, so it is good to see the money being recovered so that it can be used for what it was intended for – patient care.”

Sue Frith, chief executive of the NHS Counter Fraud Authority, added: “I commend the Wales Counter Fraud Service for their work in the original fraud investigation and this very successful recovery.

“The court order enables the recovery of over half a million pounds to the NHS.

“Our organisations continue to work closely together to tackle fraud against the health service and procurement fraud is one of our priority action areas this year,” she added.

There are some 300 specially-trained counter fraud specialists in health bodies across England and Wales.

Anyone who suspects somebody may be defrauding or committing other types of economic crime agains the NHS can report it by calling the 24-hour, confidential reporting line on 0800 028 40 60 or by visiting www.cfa.nhs.uk