Nearly 10 years after print tycoon Robert Maxwell was found mysteriously drowned in the Mediterranean, DTI inspectors are putting the finishing touches to their long-awaited investigation.


A DTI spokeswoman said: "As far as I know its still being finished. The earliest itll be ready for publication is the end of March."


However, the DTI has expressed concern at recent press articles that contained information leaked from witnesses, who are given advanced details of the investigation as part of the DTIs fairness procedure.


Reports in the The Times and The Sunday Times
suggested that the report would be critical of accountancy firm Coopers & Lybrand, now part of PricewaterhouseCoopers,
for its role in the 1991 flotation of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN).


The report, which has cost the taxpayer over 8m to date, is expected to detail how Maxwells private companies borrowed money from MGN pension schemes on an unsecured basis as far back as 1985.


Details of the covert loans were shielded from pension members by temporarily transferring money back at the schemes year-end.


There have also been reports that inspectors have been critical of merchant bank Samuel Montagu for its role in the flotation.


The results of the investigation, which was delayed due to the 1996 trial of Ian and Kevin Maxwell, will be passed to the Department of Trade & Industry secretary Stephen Byers before a publication date is decided.


Last year Kevin Maxwell set up a trust fund for victims of his fathers pension fraud and donated 1m of his own cash (PrintWeek, 21 January).


Story by John Davies