Asil Nadir court papers infected

The ongoing court case regarding former Polly Peck Chief Executive Asil Nadir has reached a very interesting stage today with news that many of the papers relating to the alleged fraudulent activity within the company back in 1991 have been infected. It is believed that investigators from the Serious Fraud Office are being forced to wear masks and gloves when handling the paperwork which has been stored for many years ago and now appears to be suffering from microbial infection. Will this affect the court case?

There appear to be so many problems regarding this particular court case that many believe the charges may well be dropped in due course due to a lack of evidence or at least problems with the perceived evidence held by the Serious Fraud Office. The allegations relate to the alleged transfer of £34 million from the company by the former chief executive who then left the UK to enter exile in Cyprus. He recently returned to the UK to "clear his name" amid rumours that the UK government had come to an informal behind-the-scenes agreement with him.

It will be interesting to see whether the criminal charges are pursued in the medium to longer term because ultimately if the so-called evidence is contaminated then this must surely raise the question of reliability of the paperwork?