“Amongst other bodies proactively notified by Tata Steel UK was the Serious Fraud Office, which has opened a criminal investigation”, Tata Steel UK said.
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A news report of the Daily Telegraph said investigators were inquiring into allegations that some staff of the steelmaker’s British office had falsified certificates detailing composition of the product before they were sold.
The newspaper quoted “well-placed sources” saying that the documents being examined affected 500 customers, including global giants BAE and Rolls Royce.
Warning against a “panic driven fire sale” of Tata Steel UK’s Port Talbot plant, Britain’s largest trade union Unite has asked the government to ensure that the sale is done in a timely fashion.
Business Secretary Sajid Javid announced the sale process will formally begin on Monday.
Please enter your email. The business secretary has admitted he was caught unaware by Tata’s announcement, telling the BBC that while he had known the firm was reviewing its United Kingdom operations, the firm had gone “much further than we expected”.
He acknowledged the efforts put in by the Scottish government to help Liberty House strike the deal with Tata.
At least nine staffers have believed to be suspended pending investigation. Tata did not respond to a request for comment on the matter.
Both the SFO and Tata declined to comment, while a Rolls-Royce spokesperson said, “We were made aware of an issue by Tata past year”.
On Friday, Liberty House took control of two mothballed Tata mills in Lanarkshire following a buyout hailed by Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as a demonstration of the “art of the possible”.
The agreement to save the two plants was completed on 24th March, and in the near future, Liberty expects to create around 150 new jobs to get the plants up and running again.
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Alan Coombs, the lead community representative of the Port Talbot steelworkers, who went onto the pitch ahead of the game, said: “What we are doing today is so important”. “Everyone is very motivated to find a solution”, insisted Mr Gupta.Mr Gupta said any buyer would have to “turn around” Tata’s loss-making business and would not want to take on the huge pension liabilities. “We now need to hear more about the next steps and what the government will do to retain steel manufacturing”.
