Amazon alleges Mr Trump wielded his influence against the firm. (Photo by= Getty Images) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] A US judge has refused to dismiss Amazon's allegations that political interference cost the company a $10bn (£7bn) Pentagon contract. BBC reported that the 10-year JEDI contract aims to make the US defence department more technologically agile.
Amazon had been considered the favourite to win. However, the contract was eventually awarded to Microsoft. The tech giant alleges Mr Trump's dislike of its founder Jeff Bezos influenced the final decision. The ruling on Wednesday means that Mr Trump could be among those Amazon asks to appear in court as part of any future proceedings. "The record of improper influence by former President Trump is disturbing, and we are pleased the Court will review the remarkable impact it had on the JEDI contract award," an Amazon spokesman said in a statement. But, a spokesman for Microsoft insisted that the new ruling "changes little".
Four companies had initially been in the running for the deal when the process was launched in 2017. IBM was eliminated, as was Oracle, which lodged an unsuccessful legal challenge alleging conflict of interest stemming from Amazon's hiring of two former defence department employees. Both were said to have been involved in the JEDI selection process.