Monday newspaper round-up: Fujitsu, Vodafone, Shawbrook
Bosses at Fujitsu have collected about £37m in pay, bonuses and compensation for loss of office since the technology company won the contract to supply the software at the heart of the Post Office Horizon scandal, it has emerged. Accounts going back 25 years reveal the seven-figure sums paid out to executives of the UK division of the Japanese-owned technology company, even as more than 900 people were prosecuted as a result of flaws in the system their company supplied. – Guardian
A new scheme to fine water companies for providing poor service to customers has been dismissed as “nothing less than a gimmick” – as the money raised in fines will not go to consumers affected. On Monday, Ofwat unveiled sanctions for water companies that do not provide good communication and help to those who face problems such as having no running water. – Guardian
Vodafone has paid out more than $1bn in fees to advisers over the last two decades amid ambitious empire-building followed by a costly retreat. The British telecoms giant has spent huge sums on bankers and lawyers as part of long-running turnaround efforts, with data from Dealogic revealing that “in excess” of a billion dollars has been spent on advisors since 2000. – Telegraph
US private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) is poised to take control of one of Britain’s largest smart meter suppliers after seeing off an attempt by its founders to scupper the deal. KKR is expected to reveal this week that more than 50pc of shareholders in Glasgow-based Smart Metering Systems have backed the takeover, giving them overall control. – Telegraph
The private equity owners of Shawbrook are seeking to revive plans for a float of the bank in a potential boost to the London stock market. Some City investors are understood to have been sounded out about a possible initial public offering of Shawbrook, which was bought by BC Partners and Pollen Street Capital for £868 million in 2017. – The Times