Unravelling major fraud involves thorough investigation. This often includes examining vast quantities of documents which have often been left in a deliberately obscure and fragmented form.
Documents need to be examined by people with different skills and expertise (eg accountants, lawyers, bankers, stockbrokers, computer specialists and the police) to determine whether offences have been committed. If they have, we need to arrange the evidence in a compact and coherent form to present to the court.
Case meetings involving all members of the case team are held at regular intervals throughout the investigation. They provide a forum for agreeing joint lines of action and involve all the different specialists in the team, including independent prosecuting counsel, who are usually engaged at an early stage.
Once the case has been investigated and before we start any criminal proceedings, we will consider whether the evidence we have gathered gives us a realistic prospect of a successful conviction, and whether the public interest requires a prosecution. We follow the principles outlined in the Code for Crown Prosecutors. Sometimes it is more appropriate for us to choose another method of progressing our case than a prosecution.
At the end of each trial a final ("wash up") meeting is held to review the case and learn from the experience gained.
