Senior figures at the Serious Fraud Office may be pleased to see the back of July. The month drew to a close with headlines documenting an ongoing court spat with property investor Vincent Tchenguiz in which he is seeking £300 million for damages from the SFO for allegations that led to his arrest in March 2011.

This came days after the SFO's annual report was released which showed that departmental spending rose from £30 million in 2011/12 to £37 million in 2012/13. Perhaps most worryingly, the cost of preparing each case for court rose from £669,000 to £839,000.