Judicial Review Timeline

1. Bringing the Judicial Review
Dec2006 - Nov2007.

2. Judicial Review hearing
Jan-Feb 2008.

3. Changing the law
Mar-Jun 2008.

4. Judicial Review ruling
Apr 2008.

5. SFO appeal to House of Lords
Apr-Jul 2008.

Timeline of the legal challenge

On 30 July 2008, following a hearing on 7-8 July, the House of Lords overturned a High Court ruling on 10 April 2008 which had declared that the Serious Fraud Office had acted unlawfully in December 2006 when it stopped its investigation into alleged corruption by BAE Systems in recent arms contracts with Saudi Arabia. The judicial review case had been brought by CAAT and The Corner House.

Here is a timeline of developments during this legal challenge, with links to key legal and background documents.

Bringing the Judicial Review
December 2006 - November 2007: Investigation dropped; legal challenge; spying; permission granted

Judicial Review Hearing
January-February 2008: Release of documents; the Hearing

Changing the law
March-June 2008: The Government attempts to change the law; parliamentary committees respond

Judicial Review ruling
April 2008: The SFO acted unlawfully

In the House of Lords
April-July 2008: The SFO successfully appeal to the House of Lords