The ex-CEO of Southern Water is being prosecuted by the Environment Agency alongside three other former employees.
Matthew Wright and his former colleagues, Philip Barker, Clive Massey and Mark Gregory, have been accused of conspiring to defraud the EA and Ofwat between January 2012 and December 2017.
It is alleged they manipulated the Operator Self-Monitoring (OSM) compliance testing regime, which requires water companies to take samples at their sewage treatment works and report the results to the EA.
Shorts
The firm has avoided paying at least £45m worth of fines as a result of the manipulation, with the true figure likely to be higher, according to EA.
