But plea negotiation would make it easier for prosecuting authorities to decide which cases were worth proceeding with and which could prove an expensive waste of time.

This could jeopardise the agency's ability to persuade other companies to enter plea negotiations.

First, victims provide their perspectives throughout the investigation and during the plea negotiations, keeping them at the heart of the process.

Plea negotiations subsequently began between the defense and the prosecution.

The second half usually opens with the arraignment of defendants and proceeds to trial preparation, including legal research and plea negotiations.