If we decide to prosecute the alleged criminals, the next step is a court trial. Serious fraud cases frequently take longer than other criminal trials. This is because:
- the transactions involved are often complex and take place over a period of time and so generate vast amounts of documentation [1]
- there is usually more than one defendant and therefore more than one defence counsel
- in most cases many witnesses are called (and frequently some have to travel from overseas to attend)
- the timetabling depends on the availability of a suitably qualified judge experienced in complex fraud or corruption trials
[1] In many courts we are able to use graphics that more clearly present complicated evidence to juries
