Prosecutors seeking the conviction of Conrad Black on criminal fraud charges will today begin the task of trying to persuade jurors that the former media baron systematically tricked directors at Hollinger International, including a former governor and a former secretary of state, in order to steal $83m from the publishing group.

Although the trial is likely to reveal enthralling new details about Lord Black's lavish lifestyle, legal experts expect the jury's final verdict to depend on what they believe Hollinger's independent directors knew - or did not know - about a series of transactions that are now under scrutiny.