U.S. files suit in technology kickback case

The Justice Department said Thursday that the government had joined in a whistle blower case filed against Hewlett-Packard Co., Accenture Ltd. and Sun Microsystems Inc., alleging they “solicited and provided improper payments” on federal contracts.

The suit in U.S. District Court in Little Rock, Ark., is based on allegations leveled in a private lawsuit alleging that the companies submitted false claims for information technology hardware and services “on numerous government contracts from the late 1990s to the present.”

The federal suit contends the relationships and resulting “alliance benefits” amounted to kickbacks and raised undisclosed conflicts of interest.

Hewlett-Packard said in a statement that it was “confident its business practices are appropriate” and that it plans to “vigorously defend this action.”