Sunday, October 19, 2008

Prosecutors subpoena ex-Lehman CEO Richard Fuld

A number of subpoenas were issued Friday by prosecutors investigating Lehman Brothers' demise. At issue is whether executives misled investors involved in last year's investment of 6 billion US dollars into the failing company. Among those subpoenaed was former Lehman Brothers CEO Richard Fuld

Lehman Brothers-Chief Richard Fuld
Foto: DPA

Former Lehman Brothers Holdings CEO Richard Fuld has been subpoenaed in an ongoing federal investigation of the demise of the bank

An attorney for Lehman Brothers Holdings, Harvey Miller, told a bankruptcy court judge Thursday that at least 12 people have received grand jury subpoenas in connection with several ongoing probes of the bank's demise.

He didn't identify which executives had been asked for information, but said the company is dealing with separate investigations by federal prosecutors in New Jersey, Brooklyn and Manhattan. New Jersey's attorney general has said state securities regulators there are also investigating.

Spokespeople for the U.S. attorneys in those three jurisdictions declined to comment Friday, but a person with knowledge of the subpoenas said that the subpoena recipients included Fuld and former Lehman Chief Financial Officer Erin Callan.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because of the secrecy of grand jury investigations.

An attorney for Fuld did not immediately return a phone message Friday. Callan, who now works for Credit Suisse Group, did not return a phone message.

The existence of the Fuld subpoena was first reported by the New York Post.

Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy on Sept. 15, following a swift and stunning fall linked to bad investments and turmoil in the credit markets.

Barclays, the British bank, subsequently absorbed the company's key U.S. units.

The speed at which Lehman failed prompted complaints by some that the company wasn't honest about its financial condition in the months leading up to its collapse.

Federal prosecutors are reportedly looking into whether anyone at Lehman may have misled investors about its health or the value of its assets.

Original here

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