Asil Nadir trial scheduled for October 2011
Updated on 03 September 2010
As fugitive tycoon Asil Nadir appears at the Old Bailey after he fled Britain to Northern Cyprus, Home Affairs Correspondent Andy Davies reports on a the resumption of a case that's been "adjourned" for 17 years.
At the hearing Asil Nadir was remanded on conditional bail to another hearing on 15 October and his trial date was provisionally set for October 2011.
Nadir, 69, was granted bail on 30 July on condition that he returned to the UK from Northern Cyprus.
The judge at the July hearing also quashed an arrest warrant for him and imposed 10 conditions on bail, including Nadir being electronically tagged.
He was facing trial on theft charges involving £34mn fraud allegations when he flew from Britain to the Mediterranean island, which has no extradition treaty with the UK.
Back in court after a 17-year "adjournment"
As he left his Mayfair home early this morning, Asil Nadir was asked by a reporter if he felt nervous about returning to court, writes home affairs correspondent Andy Davies.
'Nervous?' he replied , 'I've never had that feeling ever'. And with that, the 69 year old stepped into his chauffeur driven jaguar and, escorted by his security detail, he set off for the Old Bailey.
The fact that Nadir - who fled Britain in 1993 for Northern Cyprus - has finally returned, voluntarily, to defend himself against the 66 counts of theft on his original indictment suggests that he is not a man lacking in confidence at present. He smiled for the cameras outside court and strolled back into the dock, looking relaxed, after what his barrister described as a 17-year "adjournment".
Asil Nadir has enjoyed a somewhat VIP return to the jurisdiction he fled so memorably in 1993. Flown in on a near empty airbus, escorted off the runway by the police to ease his route back into London to his luxury appartment, the former Polly Peck tycoon has said he's 'delighted' to be back. Life, however, will get a little less comfortable for Mr Nadir from now on, as Mr Justice Bean today ruled that, despite submissions from his legal team, he should be electronically tagged as part of his bail conditions.
Mr Nadir's barrister William Clegg QC also requested that the Serious Fraud Office should outline its case against the defendant within 28 days ('Mr Nadir is very anxious to have this case heard as soon as possible') but this too received short shrift from the judge. Mr Justice Bean remarked: 'The 17-year delay is not the fault of the prosecution. It is the fault of Mr Nadir'.
Asil Nadir sat quietly throughout the proceedings, with his arms crossed, watched from the public gallery by his wife, Nur, his minders and other supporters. Today's hearing was all about 'case management'.
Asil Nadir's legal team will aim to bring an 'abuse of process' application against the SFO early next year. If that application fails, it's anticipated that a trial could take place in October 2011.
Nadir returned to Britain last week to attend court today - another condition of his bail.
At the hearing Asil Nadir was remanded on conditional bail to another hearing on 15 October and his trial date was provisionally set for October 2011.
Nadir, 69, was granted bail on 30 July on condition that he returned to the UK from Northern Cyprus.
The judge at the July hearing also quashed an arrest warrant for him and imposed 10 conditions on bail, including Nadir being electronically tagged.
He was facing trial on theft charges involving £34mn fraud allegations when he flew from Britain to the Mediterranean island, which has no extradition treaty with the UK.
