Italian judge greenlights BT fraud trial

An Italian judge has allowed an accounting fraud trial against the Italian arm of UK telecommunications company BT and 21 individuals to go ahead, Reuters reports.

The trial has been set for 26 January in Milan and concerns allegations that between 2015 and 2016 BT Italy employees inflated revenues, faked invoices and falsified supplier transactions to disguise the company's true financial performance.

The company was required to take a £530 million charge on its 2017 accounts over the matter.

Of the 23 individuals originally facing charges, one former BT manager has already been sentenced to one year in prison, while the company’s former CEO died in 2019.

BT denies wrongdoing and said it is confident in its defence.