The new coroner hearing the inquest into the death of Britain’s Princess Diana has warned those involved to keep the costs down.
Lord Justice Scott Baker said yesterday (13.06.07) he was ‘determined’ for the inquest not to be too costly, and encouraged all parties involved to be aware of the impact on taxpayers.
The judge said: ‘I am determined it should be concluded as expeditiously as possible. The longer it lasts, the greater those costs will be. It is the duty of all of us to keep them within reasonable bounds.’ Lord Baker said ‘tight discipline’ was needed, including not calling unnecessary witnesses, or asking ‘unnecessary or repetitive’ questions.
The points were made during the preliminary hearing at London’s High Court, where it was also announced the inquest is set to start on October 2. Lord Baker advised the proceedings should take around four months, and an ‘absolute maximum’ of six. The official enquiry conducted by French police returned an ‘accidental’ verdict, following investigations into the August 1997 Paris car crash that killed Diana and her lover Dodi Al Fayed. However, Dodi’s father, Harrods tycoon Mohamed, remains adamant that the deaths were the result of a conspiracy. The businessman has suggested the princess was pregnant at the time of the crash, and Charles’ father, Prince Philip engineered the plot to have her murdered.
© bangshowbiz.biz
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