The Daily Mail reports
that the first four ex-A4e staff in the long drawn out fraud case
pleaded guilty at court in Reading yesterday. They admitted a total of
32 offences of fraud and forgery while working on a scheme called
Inspire to Aspire, which ended in 2011. (There's a fifth person who
couldn't get to the court and will plead guilty later.) The Mail claims
credit for this case, but it was a whistle-blower who brought it all to
light, and A4e has always claimed that it was their own audit processes
which revealed the fraud, and they notified the police. However it was
revealed, it is embarrassing, to say the least. Money was claimed for
job outcomes which were fictitious. The fact that this first batch has
pleaded guilty means we won't get to hear the details, but it appears to
have involved forging outcome forms or signatures.
Sentencing hasn't happened yet. Eight more people are due for trial in October (!) so this drags on.
Watching A4e
