An investigation around documentation seized at Verizon's Johannesburg offices last year is still ongoing, says a lawyer acting on behalf of the company.
Cliffe Dekker attorney Eugene Bester says, while it has been "quiet" for the past four months, the investigation is ongoing. He was unable to provide a timeline as to when the investigation was to be concluded.
At the end of August last year, the company's Gallo Manor offices were sealed, with all employees locked in, following an emergency court search and seizure order.
The Anton Piller order, served on the company by Dimension Data subsidiary Internet Solutions, resulted in the company's premises being searched and evidence seized. The order, which is usually handed down without warning, was invoked to prevent the destruction of incriminating evidence, particularly in cases of alleged trademark, copyright or patent infringements.
A source close to the investigation earlier revealed that 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 did not wish to be named, claimed 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.
Lucien Pierce, attorney at Phukubje Pierce Masithela, has previously said the most common reasons for Anton Piller application are either to seek monetary damages arising from the infringement of a right, such as a trade secret or a copyright, or to stop somebody from using such a right.
Verizon Business is part of Verizon Communications' wholly-owned global Internet Protocol network. Based in New York and listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the group employs about 250 000 people worldwide and generates revenue of about $90 billion.
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