Overview
- Detectives from Greater Manchester Police executed search warrants at five properties and arrested two men and one woman in relation to the inquiry on Wednesday 8 July.
- All three were held on suspicion of money laundering, two men were also questioned on suspicion of fraud, one man faced an additional suspicion of bribery, and all have since been released on bail.
- Police say the criminal strand of the inquiry is examining alleged irregularities totalling more than £1 million by probing roughly 60 transactions and reviewing over one million emails.
- The investigation began after reporting by The Mill and a PricewaterhouseCoopers review commissioned by the university’s Fraud Response Panel, and senior leaders were suspended in May 2025 during earlier governance checks.
- Officers are working with the CPS’s Serious Economic Crime team and the Office for Students as they build a file of evidence expected to be shared with prosecutors before the end of the year, with officials warning the outcome could affect university governance and student services.