Unisys accuses ex-employee of fraud

Computer manufacturer Unisys is to sue a former employee over financial irregularities involving more than £800,000.

Computer manufacturer Unisys is to sue a former employee over financial irregularities involving more than £800,000.

Amsterdam resident David Baker, a former accounts clerk at Unisys, is alleged to have changed bank account details on the firm's computerised payment system to route a total of £828,273 into the bank account of a company called St John's Wood Travel Services.

"We are taking legal action against an ex-employee but because we are in the middle of a legal case, I cannot confirm or deny any of the details," said Unisys country communications manager Jill Pearsey.

In civil proceedings launched in September, Unisys is suing Baker in the High Court for deceit and breaches of fiduciary duty. The company is also suing Barclays bank, although it says the bank has become innocently involved in Baker's alleged misdeeds.

Unisys is also seeking a declaration that the money is being held in trust by the bank.

A Barclays representative said: "We are the second defendant in the case to ensure that we provide full information to the court - information that is usually bound by our duty of confidentiality to our customers. We are there for information purposes only."

Owing to the intricacies of the case, it could take anything from six months to two years to get to court. "This, like most computer-related cases, sounds like a very complex one," said Nick Lockett, a barrister specialising in computer law.

First published in Computing