The £60m fraud trial against Alexander Williams and Achilleas Kallakis has been dramatically stopped pending a retrial.
The jury who have been examining the case since September were today dismissed permanently from the trial, with immediate effect.
One of the accused, Williams has been admitted to hospital. A doctors’ note said he would not be fit to attend court for at least three weeks.
The judge told the jury at Southwark Crown Court: “I regret to have to tell you that this trial is no longer viable in its present form.”
The judge added that he had considered trying Kallakis on his own, but because the duo had been tried together and the court had not yet heard Williams’ evidence, it would not be appropriate to continue without him.
Jurors had originally been given a December guideline for the trial to finish, however the case has been blighted by delays.
Thousands of pages of late evidence from Switzerland caused the trial to adjourn in December, while a series of events, including sick jury members, has meant Kallakis has given just four days of evidence in January.
A new trial date has been provisionally named as 10 September to try both men, and a new jury will be called on.
Kallakis and Williams are facing several charges of fraud against Allied Irish Banks and Bank of Scotland. Both men are pleading not guilty.
joanna.bourke@estatesgazette.com
