EDMONTON — A jury trial that’s scheduled to last nearly a year began Monday morning in Edmonton.
The accused, Vimal Chandra Iyer, faces 40 counts of fraud. Iyer was arrested in 2011 on fraud and theft charges related to his company Trident Properties Ltd.
In late December, 5,000 Albertans received a summons for jury selection at Court of Queen’s Bench in Edmonton for a trial slated to last 42 weeks.
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If selected for a trial, jurors are paid $50 per day, according to provincial law. Some expenses are covered, including lunches, parking, mileage and bus fare.
However, concerns were raised about the toll such a long trial could take on jurors.
“Fifty dollars a day, $1,000 a month doesn’t even pay half the mortgage,” said Chris Falconer, who received a summons on Christmas Eve.
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