| Labour's 'new generation' await Ed Miliband's shadow cabinet appointments Labour's new shadow cabinet believe they will form a strong opposition to the coalition government. telegraph.co.uk |
Asil Nadir fraud case witness deaths hamper Serious Fraud Office Serious Fraud Office case against Asil Nadir unlikely to come to court for another yearAt least 18 potential witnesses in the fraud trial of Asil Nadir have died since prosecution attempts failed 17 years ago, a court heard today.The former Polly Peck boss had been indicted in 1993 on 66 counts of theft amounting to £150m. He is expected to face a greatly slimmed-down charge sheet as the Serious Fraud Office attempts to dust off its sprawling case against one of Britain's most notorious fraud suspects. A new indictment is expected by the end of the year with a trial not due until October next year.Before then the court will hear what is expected to be a catalogue of colourful allegations from Nadir's legal team accusing the British authorities of misconduct in their pursuit of a case against him. The judge will hear their arguments in March. Nadir has described himself as battling against an "immense injustice and tremendous abuse of power".Philip Shears QC, for the SFO, today told a judge at the Old Bailey that prosecutors had been ploughing through 1,400 boxes of documents relating to the case and had so far traced 201 of the 283 potential witnesses. A further 18 had died.In an unusual twist to the extraordinary saga, Shears told the court that certain "microbial organisms" had been found in the paperwork and are believed to have caused one SFO staff member to fall ill, seeking hospital treatment for burns. Officials are now processing the documents wearing masks, gloves and aprons and plans are in place to treat contaminated files next month to kill off bacteria.During the hearing Nadir, 69, was permitted to sit outside the dock because of hearing difficulty.Asil NadirSerious Fraud OfficeSimon Bowersguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Para stole medals from comrades An ex-paratrooper admits stealing campaign medals from comrades and weapons including hand-fired rockets from the Army. bbc.co.uk |
WikiLeaks: Duke of York's 'candid' attack on British Government The Duke of York launched an "astonishingly candid" attack on the "stupid" British government during a business brunch at which he surprised an American ambassador with his foul language, a leaked document disclosed. telegraph.co.uk |
Gazza in hospital after car crash The former England World Cup star Pau Gascoigne was in hospital today after suffering serious injuries in a car crash. timesonline.co.uk |