You are right with your analysis of how it works in the criminal courts work here, however you have it the wrong way round...All that you describe happens before the court date is set. You do get provisional dates however, some cases go ahead smoothly, generally in the case of a guilty plea, but very often cases get put back more than once in the absence of statements/reports etc.
Now, assuming that is the way the FIM proceed with their prosecutions, then I would suspect that the series of adjournments were caused by defence.
Why? As we have been told by his supporters here, questions have been raised about the validity of breath test ( alcohol test) and or the procedure that accompanied it. IF he had just taken the offence on the chin, it could have been done and dusted in weeks. He could have had his hearing, pleaded his guilt, taken his ban and be ready to ride sometime soon, March even.
Some people go on about the length of time it has taken, in Criminal case terms, 5/6 months isn't long at all.
If the defence raise questions of the prosecution they need to be answered, that could take weeks, if it's an expert witness for example then you MAY have the prosecution looking for an expert of their own to rebut the evidence of the defence witness..So that leads to the cogs of the justice system working very slowly and if you have witnesses not available for court dates for a myriad of reasons, if you are still waiting vital evidential reports etc that could put a date back too.
That doesn't include the defendant, I might add. He/She has to be there, no matter what
Again in Criminal cases, all evidence you hope, is there on the day the trial starts, but it's not unknown for trials to be adjourned because of something that has cropped up during evidence giving etc.
I don't know who sits on these FIM juries? But in Criminal cases here, we have juries made up of members of the public, who have jobs, families and other commitments and the justice system has to recognise that, so that they receive quite rightly, minimal disruption and ample expenses.
Going back to the Ward issue, again working on the criminal case scenario, was it an adjournment to hear further evidence, was it an adjournment to reach a verdict in a 45 day limit? It seems that the 45 day window in order to deliver a judgement is normal?
I had to laugh at the description someone used that the FIM procedure was "archaic"
The way Speedway is run is archaic FFS! Some people involved in the sport, think we are foolish enough to believe it's not still the old boys network, the nudge nudge, wink wink brigade etc.. That it one of the reasons that Ward is the mess he is, " Don't worry about it son, we'll sort it"
Hopefully and it's proving to be thus far, the FIM are a credible body and as I have said before, true justice will be served
