The leaking of confidential tender-related information is said to be at the centre of a forensic investigation of Verizon Business.
The company was slapped with an Anton Piller order and saw an emergency search and seizure operation carried out at its Gallo Manor offices a few months ago.
The Anton Piller order was requested by Dimension Data subsidiary Internet Solutions (IS), which filed a civil complaint against Verizon.
Authorities raided Verizon's offices on 31 August, locked in all employees for much of the day, and cut-off all communication while the seizure operation was in progress.
It has emerged that a Verizon middle-level sales manager, who previously worked for IS, whose name is known to ITWeb but cannot be disclosed at this stage, has been implicated, along with his divisional team.
Investigators are still scrutinising the confiscated documents. It is understood that both companies' lawyers, plus a representative of the sheriff's office and another independent lawyer, are poring over the data.
Pricing information
A source close to the investigation reveals the matter stems from the alleged leaking of confidential pricing information related to several high-value tenders - for which Verizon and IS were both bidders.
The source, who does not wish to be named, claims a former IS employee, who moved to Verizon, handed sensitive information to his new employers regarding tenders that IS was vying for at the time.
As a result, IS is understood to have lost several of these tenders to Verizon. However, both parties have so far refused to reveal what prompted the civil complaint by IS.
Several sources inside Verizon, none of which may be named, have indicated Verizon employees were given strict instructions not to discuss the matter with anybody.
Lengthy process
Attorneys for both parties had previously stated the investigation should have been wrapped up by now. However, dates given for the conclusion have consistently been pushed back.
Verizon's country manager, Angela Gahagan, could not be reached for comment this morning.
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