THE Inland Revenue has finally given up its protracted pursuit of Nissan UK's exiled former chairman Octav Botnar on the grounds of ill-health. The warrants were withdrawn from Worthing Magistrates' Court after a medical examination carried out last month revealed that 84-year-old Botnar had several life-threatening illnesses and was highly unlikely to survive a lengthy trial.

Botnar was accused of being central to Britain's largest tax fraud involving massive tax evasion on the import of vehicles between 1975 and 1992 and fled to Switzerland after the Revenue raided the company's Worthing headquarters.

Botnar paid the Revenue some £59 million a year ago but criminal proceedings were due to start next month until the Revenue application last week.