Serco tagging trial collapses after SFO declines to bring evidence
Two former executives have been found not guilty after the Serious Fraud Office admits to ‘errors’ in disclosing materials for trial
26 April 2021 • 2:56pm
The Serious Fraud Office is facing fresh embarrassment after the trial of two former Serco executives accused of “fraud on the taxpayer” collapsed because of failures in preparing evidence.
The white-collar crime agency admitted it had “uncovered errors made in the non-disclosure of certain materials” in relation to the trial of Nicholas Woods and Simon Marshall, who worked on Serco s contract to electronically tag offenders for the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).
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By Neil Hodge2021-04-26T17:32:00+01:00
Two former executives at security company Serco were acquitted Monday of defrauding the U.K.’s Ministry of Justice after the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) failed to disclose documents to the defense.
The agency offered no evidence against Nicholas Woods, a former finance director, and Simon Marshall, a former operations director, who were charged with defrauding the government department between 2011 and 2013 by concealing £12 million (U.S. $16.6 million) in profits related to an electronic tagging contract for offenders.
Because the SFO did not disclose documents to defense lawyers, Mrs. Justice Tipples directed the jury to return verdicts of not guilty after refusing an adjournment that would have allowed the agency to pursue a retrial.
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