The jurors who will hear the criminal case against Conrad Black have all been selected and have been told to come back on Monday for the trial's opening statements.

Following two days of questioning, 20 people were chosen — 12 jurors and eight alternates. Usually there are only six alternates. 

Conrad Black, his wife, Barbara Amiel Black, right, and his daughter, Alana, arrive at the federal district court in Chicago for the second day of jury selection in his trial on fraud charges.
(Tom Hanson/Canadian Press)

It's not yet clear who will sit on the jury and who will be an alternate. 

Judge Amy St. Eve has told the jurors that the case will likely last three or four months.

"Our goal today is to end up with a fair and impartial jury," she told the court earlier on Thursday.

Black did not comment to reporters when he arrived Thursday morning at the Chicago courthouse. As Black left the courtroom, he was asked for his comments. Answering in French, he said he had "full confidence" in his defence team.  

Black took notes Thursday while listening to the selection process as 27 potential jurors were screened. St. Eve questioned them based on their responses to an earlier questionnaire. The judge's questions were meant to clarify the potential jurors' views on people who hold titles and who are wealthy.

Several potential jurors who showed signs of bias were excused.

Potential jurors said they disliked big companies

Several jurors have remarked on their dislike of big corporations, specifically mentioning Enron and WorldCom — two companies that suffered from executive malfeasance.

"This case has nothing to do with those cases and I think that will come out," defence lawyer Edward Greenspan told the CBC's Havard Gould.   

One potential juror said she thought "CEOs and CFOs are overpaid."

During the first day of jury selection on Wednesday, about 45 potential jurors were screened and about 15 were eliminated from the pool.

Black, 62, is accused of 14 criminal charges that range from racketeering, to mail fraud and tax evasion. 

The main allegation revolves around the U.S. government's assertion that Black defrauded the minority shareholders of Hollinger International of millions of dollars by illegally diverting money from the sale of Hollinger newspapers. Black has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

With files from the Canadian Press