The Times (TT) - In the annual report you state that all cases bring substantial risk to the reputation of the SFO. What do you mean by this?

Robert Wardle (RW) - Well, if we get them wrong, or we lost, then we are flayed in the press, very often, no matter what. And if we don't get them wrong and there is an acquittal that is regarded as another disaster.

And I think that we have to accept that, the amount of press interest in our cases given the number of cases and the size of the office is quite exceptional even the small cases.

Our very high profile cases, whatever happens, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) failing or if things don't go well is seen and reported on, whereas in a lot of the cases, and you see some of them there where we have bought them to a very successful conclusion, it attracts little interest which is sometimes strange.

TT - Looking at this particular statement it seems as if there is some hidden message about BAE.

RW - I mean BAE is the obvious example, but there are other cases like the NHS case, the oil-for-food case, these are all in the public eye and even the smallest cases are big cases. That is the point I was trying to get over.

The big spend, I told you what we reckon we have spent on BAE [£1.5 million] in these cases it is easy for someone to get an MP or whoever it is to get a parliamentary question on how much we have spent on this and say “well, what a waste of money”. I don't necessarily think it is if there is an acquittal - a trial sometimes has to happen.

We do try only to prosecute those cases where we think there is a reasonable prospect of conviction.

TT - Do you think there has been a change in perception of the public’s view of the SFO since the BAE/Saudi case was dropped? Do you think people feel more sympathy towards the SFO?

RW - I think we worked very hard to explain the decision that I made, why I made it.

Whether that message has got over given the huge amount of publicity and the political ramifications. You say "when Tony Blair stopped the investigation", well he didn't, I did.

But I hope people realise we were in a very awkward position, we had to make a very tough decision and it was a decision that one has to make. I think it is important to bear in mind that not only in the BAE case but in other areas where there is perhaps corruption, we are taking on criminal cases to investigate.

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