Insider-Trading Ring Raided in SoftwareOne Share Sale Probe

(Bloomberg) — Police carried out raids across Europe as part of an investigation into five people suspected of insider trading in a listed Swiss IT firm.

Law enforcement didn’t identify the firm but a spokesperson for SoftwareOne Holding AG confirmed it was the target of the alleged insider trades. The company itself is not under investigation or accused of any wrongdoing, they said.

The five unidentified people are alleged to have held senior positions in the company and sold “large quantities” of shares before it published two pre-market press releases that would negatively impact the share price, according to a Eurojust statement.

The share sale resulted in the individuals allegedly avoiding losses of as much as €2.6 million ($3 million), the EU’s agency for criminal justice cooperation said.

Searches were conducted at SoftwareOne’s offices in Leipzig and the Swiss city of Stans. Police in Britain also targeted multiple private residences, Eurojust said.

SoftwareOne’s share price has more than halved over the past four years as the Swiss software reseller turned from takeover target to suitor. It held sale talks with several potential bidders that culminated in a boardroom shakeup before it agreed to buy Norwegian competitor Crayon in a $1.14 billion deal.

Shares in the Stans-headquartered firm fell as much as 1.9%.

©2025 Bloomberg L.P.