Softbank goes after ex-employees over data theft

In March 2006 almost the entire risk management team at Softbank resigned and immediately commenced work as a competitor. According to Softbank, former workers (the "Austrian group") stole its Reiffeisen bank contract, however, the former workers explain that their resignation was due to management breaking labor laws. They claim that Softbank did not fulfill formalities connected with their work in Austria, although Softbank thinks that this was only a pretext to leave. With evidence obtained from computer hard drives, Softbank claims that several weeks before the workers resigned they started their own business. It also claims that the workers were negotiating with two competing IT companies, and that the Austrian group was  trying to persuade Emax and Betacom to create a new company in which 49% of shares would be taken by former Softbank workers. (Puls Biznesu p. 4) M.M.