International firm Clyde & Co has created a private prosecutions service in response to ‘increasingly limited’ state resources and delays caused by Covid-19.

As part of its regulatory & investigations group, the firm will help businesses and individuals around the world bring private prosecutions for offences such as fraud, intellectual property and trademark infringements and regulatory offences.

The service will involve Clyde & Co's team of litigators and advocates, as well as its in-house forensic accountants, investigators and business intelligence department based in the UK.

Partner Charles Kuhn said: ‘Private prosecutions are becoming an increasingly popular course of action for both individuals and companies. State prosecution and investigatory authorities are having to deal with limited resources, and criminal court proceedings in most countries are being impaired by large backlogs and delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic.’

Partner Keith Geurts added: ‘The benefit of private prosecutions will undoubtedly surge as resources to investigate and prosecute “civil” crimes such as intellectual property theft and fraud are increasingly limited.’

Still controversial, private prosecutions remain a relative rarity in England and Wales. Last year, lawyers advising clients about private prosecutions published a code that aims to improve the standard of prosecutions and increase judicial understanding of the process.