Cui bono ("Good for whom?", or "Who benefits?") is a
Latin adage which means that the person or people
guilty of committing a
crime may be found amongst those who have something to gain, perhaps financially. Although the principle is useful in criminal investigations, the party with the most to gain may not always be obvious, or the guilty party may distract attention by diverting attention on to a
scapegoat. The expression is said to have been coined by
Roman consul and
censor Lucius Cassius Longinus Ravilla, and was used by
Marcus Tullius Cicero.