Trial of Asil Nadir begins

Philip Shears QC and Tom Elmer, instructed by the Serious Fraud Office,  are currently prosecuting Asil Nadir at the Central Criminal Court.

Mr Nadir, the former Chairman of Polly Peck International PLC, fled to northern Cyrpus in 1993 and returned in 2010.  He faces 13 specimen counts of theft from Polly Peck over a three year period.

The total value of the theft alleged exceeds £140 million, which it is alleged was routed through a complex arrangement of companies and bank accounts in northern Cyprus, Switzerland and offshore centres.