News Corp spokesmen have declined to comment on the prospect of Brooks being rehired and posted to Australia. Former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks. Credit:LUKE MACGREGOR Mrs Brooks was given an £11 million ($20 million) payout at the height of the phone-hacking scandal. Before her resignation, Mr Murdoch named her as his top priority. While it's said to be unlikely, a shift by Mrs Brooks to Australia rather than News Corp's New York headquarters would also distance the long-running trial from the lucrative American TV assets of News's sister company 21st Century Fox. News Corp Australia is led by Julian Clarke, who was brought out of retirement to replace Kim Williams. News Corp Australia chief operating officer Peter Tonagh and Foxtel boss Richard Freudenstein are considered likely replacements for Mr Clarke.

Coulson facing jail While Mrs Brooks was found not guilty on charges of conspiracy to hack phones, corruption and perverting the course of justice in the spectacular trial, fellow former News of the World editor Andy Coulson faces jail time after being found guilty of conspiring to intercept voicemails. And with reports that News Corp's UK company has already paid damages to 718 phone-hacking victims with a further 11 trials to go, questions remain about further costs to shareholders from the saga. CLSA analyst Sacha Krien has forecast total costs to reach $1 billion, about double disclosed costs so far. Mr Krien said although the end of the Coulson and Brooks trials and civil claims may reduce ongoing legal bills, Mr Coulson ''is also likely to appeal, and News Corp still faces potential criminal trials on two fronts''.

The first is violations of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. ''Legal analysis we've seen suggests corruption claims related to non-procurement (i.e. bribes paid to win a contract) have not exceeded $A100m in the past,'' Mr Krien told clients. ''The last we have read on this matter is that three US Senators were pushing both the DOJ [Department of Justice] and SEC [US Securities and Exchange Commission] to investigate. Given bribery of officials did occur we tend to think this is still a real risk, and accordingly retain the $500 million charge in our SOTP [sum-of-the-parts] to cover potential damages.'' Under last year's split into two companies, News Corp is indemnified by 21st Century Fox for payments arising out of civil claims and legal fees for related criminal matters, Mr Krien noted, but not for any pecuniary penalty arising out of those matters. News Corp said in May that ''UK and US regulators and governmental authorities continue to conduct investigations'' in relation to what it calls ''UK newspaper matters'' and ''civil claims have also been brought against the company''.

''The company has admitted liability in many civil cases related to the voicemail interception allegations and has settled many cases'', it said, as well as established a ''private compensation scheme under which parties could pursue claims against it''. As at 31 March 2014, the total cost to New Corp shareholders from the phone-hacking saga was $US454 million, excluding $US91 million indemnified by 21st Century Fox.''The company is not able to predict the ultimate outcome or cost of the civil claims or criminal matters,'' it said. New York-based News Corp spokesman Jim Kennedy declined to answer on Wednesday whether Rupert Murdoch had been informed by Scotland Yard that detectives wanted to question him, as reported by the Guardian, or comment on the prospects of News Corp being charged as a corporation. In a statement after the verdicts, News's UK arm, News UK, said: "We said long ago, and repeat today, that wrongdoing occurred, and we apologised for it.'' Despite the drama surrounding the phone hacking scandal, the News Corp split, almost one year old, has been embraced by investors, with both News and 21st Century Fox shares rising since then. Fox shares have already been delisted from Australia, to the surprise and disappointment of local fund managers.