Tesco executives to go on trial in September next year
Three former Tesco executives have appeared in court today on fraud charges and a trial date has been set for September next year.
Former finance director for Tesco UK Carl Rogberg, 49, ex-UK managing director Christopher Bush, 50, and ex-commercial director for food John Scouler, 48, have been charged with one count of fraud by abuse of position and one count of false accounting.
They have all pleaded not guilty to the charges, which have been brought by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).
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The SFO has alleged that fraudulent activity took place between February and September 2014.
The charges relate to an accounting scandal at Tesco in which the company overstated its profits by more than £263m.
The SFO's investigation of the scandal is ongoing. It took up the case in October 2014, when the retailer revealed what had happened.
Former chief financial officer Laurie McIlwee has been cleared of any part in the scandal by the Financial Reporting Council. McIlwee resigned his position as chief financial officer in April 2014, five months before the revelations emerged.