Key facts
- Former Southern Water CEO Matthew Wright and three ex-employees are charged with conspiracy to defraud.
- The alleged fraud involved manipulating wastewater testing data between 2012 and 2017.
- The scheme aimed to bypass compliance checks and defraud regulators.
- The High Court dismissed Wright's legal challenge against the Environment Agency's prosecution powers.
- Southern Water faces separate charges for breaching environmental permits.
Matthew Wright, the former chief executive of Southern Water, is among four former employees facing criminal proceedings for conspiracy to defraud. The Environment Agency alleges that between January 2012 and December 2017, the individuals manipulated the operator self-monitoring testing regime by implementing "artificial no-flow events" at wastewater treatment works. Prosecutors claim the data was falsified to bypass compliance checks, defrauding the EA and Ofwat. Wright had previously argued the EA lacked the legal power to issue a summons, but the Administrative Court dismissed his claim, confirming the agency's authority to prosecute. The case will now proceed to Medway Magistrates’ Court, and the maximum penalty for conspiracy to defraud is 10 years' imprisonment. Southern Water itself will face separate charges for allegedly breaching environmental permits linked to the same conduct.