Trial begins for pair caught up in Welsh council IT scandal

Duo accused of false accounting practices

Two men charged with conspiracy to commit fraud and false accounting in relation to a Welsh public sector IT department have appeared in court today as their trial begins.

Farooq Dastgir, a former IT boss at Blaenavon's Shared Resource Service (SRS) in south Wales, has been charged along with IT firm Camelot's owner Gary Inchliffe with making a false representation and with false accounting and jointly conspiring to commit fraud.

Dastgir has also been accused of two accounts of misconduct in public office and an additional count of false accounting, according to local media outlet Free Press, which attended the trial at Cardiff Crown Court.

Both men pleaded not guilty.

The SRS was opened in 2011 and was meant to be the nerve centre for IT across Torfaen and Monmouthshire councils and Gwent police, which had teamed up to try to save cash and dramatically improve IT in the area.

Back in 2011, Torfaen Council – which led the SRS initiative – was forced to stump up £400,000 to cover a funding shortfall at a datacentre whose activities were probed by local police.

The council also came under fire last year after CRN revealed that nearly £2m worth of laptops and wireless kit was left unused years after its procurement, which at the time raised concerns from suppliers who claimed the awarding process was unfair.

The trial continues tomorrow.