- 3-
Sir, our Report covers in turn the major aspects of the
investigation,
and prosecution
trial of complex commercial crime. The mode of trial, which we deal with in chapter 7, has
remained, Sir,
of one
the most important areas of our
deliberations. In coming
on this issue, the Committee has kept in mind the words of the Attorney General when the Second Reading of the Trial of Commercial Crimes Bill was deferred. At that time, the Attorney General said this -
to
conclusion our
ог
"Even if this Council were minded to pass
this Bill, it would in my judgement be fraught with danger to introduce a mode of trial that did not command broad support. It is no longer a question of whether the Bill's proposals are good ones the best of
of the
alternatives. It is a question of whether they would be generally regarded as a basis for a fair trial if they were passed into Public confidence in the justice of our trial procedure is far more important than the choice between one mode of trial and
law.
The strength of feelings that
passage
another.
presently run against the
of this
Bill at this time in this form create a real risk of damaging public confidence in a just verdict, whatever the merits of the proposal may be."
In our view, the trial
not command the
of complex commercial
crime
or
cases by a tribunal, consisting of a judge and three commercial adjudicators, does
necessary broad public confidence in the justice of our trial procedure referred
the
Attorney
General.
to by underlying reasons for the Bill, we
Although
we
support
understand
the
are convinced that the common