When individuals or companies have suffered financial loss because of dishonesty, and they seek recompense, they often head for the civil courts. Sometimes there may be elements of the fraud that the injured party thinks should be the subject of a prosecution, yet the authorities may be reluctant to pursue. In suitable cases, a private prosecution should be considered.
The successful prosecutor in the Crown Court may be able to recover a significant proportion of its costs from central funds. Appropriately advised and conducted, a private prosecution can have limited downsides.
Andrew Manners of MLR instructing Charles Bott QC and Richard Furlong of Carmelite Chambers (London) acted in the successful private prosecution this year, of 2 individuals for fraud on a subsidiary of a multi-national group of companies.
