A buyer at Sainsbury’s, the UK’s third-largest retailer, has been arrested over allegations of accepting backhanders from a potato supplier.

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John Maylam has been arrested after allegedly receiving payments from Greenvale, which supplies around 45% of Sainsbury’s potatoes.


Local reports claim that David Baxter, Greenvale’s operations director has also been arrested. Both men have been released on bail.


The payments are believed to amount to some GBP3m (US$6.1m) and were said to have been uncovered by Greenvale’s parent company, Produce Investments.


Sainsbury’s confirmed the allegations over “certain payments and benefits by a supplier to an individual employed by us”.

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“We have the highest standards of corporate governance and following enquiries have passed our findings to the police for further investigation,” the company told just-food today (17 March).


Sainsbury’s declined to comment further.


Officials at Greenvale could not be reached for immediate comment.

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