UK

Communications between the Bank of England and its solicitors relating to the Bingham Inquiry into BCCI

Joanna Gray, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Towards the end of 2004, the House of Lords handed down its unanimous judgment in the final appeal from the numerous pre-trial issues that fell to be resolved before the main action against the Bank of England, which was being brought by the depositors in and liquidators of the collapsed BCCI banking group.That main civil action, for damages for misfeasance in public office arising from the Bank of England’s supervision of BCCI, prior to its demise in 1991, is currently underway now and looks set to be the longest and most costly trial in English history to date. Judgement is expected later this year.