Fraud is not a capital offence, after all, and executives can usually afford a good lawyer.

ECONOMIST: Corporate crime

The police have accused him of treason, a capital offence, though he has yet to be charged.

ECONOMIST: Zimbabwe��s travesty of a presidential election

On the campaign trail he has repeatedly defended the Texas system, arguing that every inmate executed on his watch was guilty of a capital offence.

ECONOMIST: Election Briefing: Death penalty

Some reports claimed they had converted from Islam to Christianity or Bahai faith - potentially a capital offence in Iran as it is considered to be apostasy.

BBC: Iran accused of intimidating BBC Persian staff

Because treason is a capital offence, the case will be moved to the High Court, where the accused will be asked to enter pleas on Thursday, our reporter says.

BBC: Peter Mutharika and others on Malawi treason charges

At the time, holding capital abroad without telling the authorities was a criminal offence.

ECONOMIST: An Italian story | The