Cui bono? (), in English "to whom is it a benefit?", is a Latin phrase about identifying crime suspects. It depends on the fact that crimes are often committed to benefit their perpetrators, especially financially.
Usage
The phrase is a double dative construction. It can also be rendered as cui prodest? ("whom does it profit?") and ad cuius bonum? ("for whose good?").
Background
Cicero himself used the expression Cui bono in his defence of Sextus Roscius, in the Pro Roscio Amerino, once again invoking Cassius as the source: "Let that maxim of Cassius apply."
American sociologist Peter Blau has used the concept of cui bono to differentiate organizations depending on who has primarily benefited: owners; members; specific others; or the general society.
See also
Cherchez la femme
Follow the money
Milgram experiment
Whodunit
General: Brocard (law) List of Latin phrases List of legal Latin terms