In a criminal prosecution brought by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission, ASIC, the financial regulator, two out of five criminal charges brought against an alleged fraudster were dropped because the witnesses in those cases became "unavailable." The charges related to conducting an unauthorised financial services business and to soliciting moneys which were used improperly.
Nevertheless, the accused has pleaded guilty to the remaining three charges at the door of the court before his trial commenced yesterday.
It's a long and convoluted story across years and jurisdictions as well as various enforcement agencies.