Скачать или смотреть Court finds George Soros guilty of insider trading

(20 Dec 2002)

APTN File - 7 November 2002
1. Lawyers followed by Soros leaving court
2. Soros talking to media

APTN - 20 December 2002
3. Exterior "Palais de Justice"
4. Exterior of courtroom
5. Lawyers entering courtroom
6. Cutaway cameras
7. Soros' lawyer Bernard du Granrut entering courtroom
8. Cutaway policeman standing outside courtroom
9. Lawyers coming out
10. SOUNDBITE: (French) Bernard du Granrut, Soros' lawyer:
"I note the verdict hasn't taken into consideration the main legal arguments we've presented. We should appeal this decision, I need to confirm that with Mr Soros."
11. Cutaway cameraman
12. SOUNDBITE: (French) Bernard du Granrut, Soros' lawyer (responding to question on how the tribunal justifies the decision on Mr Soros, when the two other people have been discharged?):
"By the circumstances surrounding the facts and the conditions under which Mr Soros acquired the money, but it neglects a whole series of particularities we've submitted. These haven't been examined by the tribunal (Q: How
do you qualify this condemnation?) Oh! I have 24 hours to damn the judges."
13. Bernard de Granrut walking away -
14. SOUNDBITE: (French) Olivier Metzner, lawyer for Lebanese businessman Samir Traboulsi:
"I am obviously delighted that after fourteen years of effort I have finally obtained a discharge. I regret that it took 14 years but I can only be happy that the innocence of Samir Traboulsi has been recognised, even more so in an affair that attracted so much attention. He was labelled guilty from the beginning because his name was Samir Traboulsi.
Justice was done."
15. Lawyers walking away
16. Soros' lawyer Bernard du Granrut climbing stairs

STORYLINE:

A French court on Friday convicted American billionaire investor George Soros of insider trading and fined him 2.2 (m) million euros (dollars).

The fine matched the amount the Hungarian-born financier was accused of having made from buying and selling shares of French bank Societe Generale with insider knowledge 14 years ago.

Soros, who was not in court, said in a statement that he was "astounded and dismayed" by the ruling.

"At no point was I in possession of inside information regarding Societe Generale. The charges against me are unfounded and without merit," he said in the statement e-mailed to The Associated Press.

Soros said he would appeal "to the highest level necessary."

The court cleared two other men tried in the case: Jean-Charles Naouri, former top aide to France's then-Finance Minister Pierre Beregovoy, and Lebanese businessman Samir Traboulsi.

Prosecutors had sought fines of 290-thousand euros (dollars) for Naouri and 1.98 (m) million euros (dollars) for Traboulsi.

Neither man was in court for the verdict.

The fine handed out to Soros matched the amount demanded by the prosecution.

But it represents a mere dent in his fortune, estimated by Forbes magazine at 6.9 (b) billion. The magazine ranked Soros, the 72-year-old president of Soros Fund Management, as the 37th richest person in the world this year.

Soros lawyer Bernard du Granrut said the Paris court "did not acknowledge the essential elements of the arguments we presented."

Societe Generale was privatised in 1987. A year later, its stock price went up during an unsuccessful takeover bid.

Soros was accused of having obtained insider information before the abortive corporate raid pushed up the stock price.

Soros had denied in court in November that he had privileged information.

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