One of the squirmiest cans of worms in the Atlantic Computers Plc morass appears to have been the Italian subsidiary, which has just been put into controlled administration under Italian law: according to the Independent on Sunday, the Minardi Formula One motor racing team for which Pierluigi Martini drives, was sponsored to the tune of UKP2m by Atlantic Italia last year – but saw only UKP600,000 of the promised money, the balance going into an off-shore account whose beneficiaries are unknown; the paper says that British & Commonwealth Plc believes that of a turnover of UKP40m last year, up to UKP15m was paid out in bribes, backhanders and so forth.
