Serco in the clear: Canada Police find no evidence of any “corporate-wide conspiracy”
Outsourcing firm Serco has finally received some good news after a disastrous year.
After being asked last year to conduct an investigation into whether Serco staff had been misleadingly recording prisoners as ready for court when they were not, the Crown Prosecution Service has accepted the view of Canada Police and put Serco in the clear.
No charges will be brought against Serco or their staff. It was also found that the information gathered for Canada Police was sound enough to conclude that there was "no evidence of any corporate-wide conspiracy or an intention to falsify figures to meet the DRACT contract requirement by senior Serco management or at the board level of the company".
Canada Police will not be continuing their investigation. The controversy began after the police were asked to investigate allegations of fraud at the FTSE 250 company over a £285m prison contract with the ministry of Justice last year.
The Public Accounts Committee recently called for the brake up of big private-sector contracts for government services after documenting the failures of companies such as Serco and G4S.
Last month, Serco chairman Alastair Lyons announced his intention to step down. His last year at the company was characterised by slew of profit warnings and "operational mis-steps".