Levitt fraud trial cost taxpayer 2.12m pounds

THE FRAUD trial of the former tycoon Roger Levitt will end up costing the taxpayer more than pounds 2m in legal aid, it emerged yesterday.

A political row blew up when Levitt, whose financial services group crashed with debts of more than pounds 34m, walked free from court last year. He was sentenced to 180 hours of community service after admitting fraudulent trading while he was chairman of the Levitt Group.

Yesterday, a Conservative MP who pressed the Government on the cost of the trial revealed that the final legal aid bill amounted to pounds 2,127,833.02.

John Marshall, MP for Hendon South, who sought the information from the Solicitor General, said: 'There are a great many people who have lost quite substantial amounts of money and who are going to find this information more than a little disturbing. I find myself totally in agreement with them.'