(Adds comment from Morris's lawyer, G4S, details)
LONDON, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Three former executives of
security services group G4S Care and Justice Services (G4SCJ)
have been charged with fraud over a multi-year scheme to defraud
the Ministry of Justice, the UK Serious Fraud Office said on
Tuesday.
Richard Morris, a former managing director, and Mark Preston
and James Jardine, who worked at G4SCJ's electronic monitoring
business, were each charged with seven offences in connection to
false representations made to the MoJ between 2009 and 2012.
Morris, Preston, the former commercial director of the
electronic monitoring business, and Jardine, its one-time
finance manager, will appear at London's Southwark Crown Court
on Oct. 6.
Ross Dixon, a partner at law firm Hickman & Rose who is
representing Morris, said his client "refutes these allegations
in the strongest possible terms".
"He will robustly contest the charges and is confident he
will be cleared of any wrongdoing," he said.
The charges were announced two months after the SFO struck a
deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with G4SCJ, a wholly-owned
subsidiary of G4S Plc, which offers services spanning
prison management to workspace controls and contact tracing.
Under the DPA - which only relates to the potential criminal
liability of G4SCJ and does not address whether liability
attaches to current or former employees or agents - G4SCJ was
fined 38.5 million pounds ($50.2 million) and has to meet
compliance obligations and submit to periodic review.
"G4S has settled this matter with the customer via a full
commercial settlement and agreed a DPA with the SFO," a
spokesperson said. "It is not appropriate for us to comment on
the individual cases."
($1 = 0.7671 pounds)
(Reporting by Kirstin Ridley; Editing by Huw Jones and Jan
Harvey)
