Arthur Andersen this week pushed to accelerate its long-running court-room battle with the government over its DeLorean audit by applying to the High Court to have the case transferred from the US courts to the UK.
Andersens has been ensnared in litigation since 1985 following its audit of the Ulster-based DeLorean luxury car company which collapsed in 1982.
DeLorean, which was set up in the 1970s and benefited from (UK P)62m of government funding, went bust in a cloud of allegations of fraud and mismanagement.
The government served Andersens a writ through the High Court in 1985 alleging negligence over its DeLorean work. It then referred the case to the New York Federal Court which ruled it outside of its jurisdiction earlier this year.
An Andersens spokesman said: ‘We believe the case should be tried in the UK which is its natural home and where it is most likely to have the most rapid resolution.’
The hearing was expected to finish yesterday.