§ 36. Mr. WoodwardTo ask the Attorney-General what are the current case loads of the Serious Fraud Office and of the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to serious or complex fraud. [63024]
The Attorney-GeneralThe Serious Fraud Office currently has a caseload of 68 serious or complex fraud cases. In the year 1997–98, of 39 defendants whose cases were brought to trial, 37 were convicted and 2 acquitted. In the current year so far, 22 defendants have been brought to trial with 18 convictions and 4 acquittals. The Crown Prosecution Service does not keep records which show serious and complex fraud cases as a separate category. It is therefore not possible to provide comparable figures.