"Ladies and gentlemen," she continued, "it is those unlawful methods, not the political views which motivated them, that bring us to this courtroom, to this case today."

Companies often try to discover one another's trade secrets through lawful methods of reverse engineering or employee poaching on one hand, and potentially unlawful methods including industrial espionage on the other.

The abuses included falsifying evidence and "admissions of guilt wrung from the accused through unlawful methods," the commission said in a statement.

When her husband was detained under the Apartheid laws, she successfully sued to prevent the police from using unlawful methods of interrogation against him.

Perhaps now arbitrary imprisonment and torture of Ethiopian journalists [for criticizing the government for engaging in unethical and unlawful method of collecting money for dam projects, etc] could be looked at differently.

"Flying three in row, however, is regarded as an unlawful method of attracting attention to your commercial activity."

"An unlawful method of attracting attention to your commercial activity," the building and zoning inspector in Old Lyme, Conn., informed a gasoline station proprietor in May.

But the unlawful methods did not result in convictions or significant disclosures.

In addition, Yinreng's supporters, led by Songgotu, gradually formed a "Crown Prince Party" (太子黨), that aimed to help Yinreng get the throne as soon as possible, even if it meant using unlawful methods.

Stead and several of his accomplices were later brought to trial as a result of the unlawful investigative methods they used (see the Eliza Armstrong Case) and Stead himself served three months in prison.