25 May 2018

David Corker comments on the CPS costs in first-ever contested section 7 prosecution in GIR

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) spent thousands of pounds to prosecute a case that UK white-collar lawyers have previously said makes a mockery of the criminal process.

The CPS revealed how much it spent to bring a case against dormant British officer interior design company Skansen Interior Limited (SIL) and two individuals over a £6 million bribery scheme. In total, it spent £26,137, which includes VAT, on counsel fees in the prosecution, the CPS said.

David Corker, however, said that the CPS was right to bring the case against SIL because it was the first-ever contested section 7 prosecution case in the UK and helped shed light on how the provision could be applied in the future.

“There was previously no jurisprudence brought under section 7 so it was right to bring the case in order to develop some law on it and guidance from the judiciary,” he said. “It was money well-spent in my opinion.”

Read the full article in GIR here.