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Title: Man Tied to Enron Case Found Dead in London Park
Source:
New York Times
URL Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/13/b ... 3bankers.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Published: Jul 13, 2006
Author: HEATHER TIMMONS
Post Date: 2006-07-13 11:43:13 by aristeides
Keywords: None
Views: 213
Comments: 16
Man Tied to Enron Case Found Dead in London Park By HEATHER TIMMONS LONDON, July 12 — A British banker who provided evidence to the F.B.I. and the United States Department of Justice about Enron-related transactions has been found dead in an East London park, days ahead of the politically charged extradition of his former colleagues to Houston to stand trial. The banker, who was identified by his former employer, Royal Bank of Scotland, as Neil Coulbeck, was found Tuesday by a passer-by in the park, which is in the Chingford neighborhood of London. Scotland Yard confirmed Wednesday that a body had been found. It said the death was being treated as “unexplained” and that officers from its homicide and serious crime units were investigating. The man appeared to have committed suicide, the British Press Association said. Scotland Yard would not confirm that report. On Thursday, American marshals plan to take into custody three British bankers who worked for NatWest Bank and fly them to the United States. The three were indicted on fraud charges in Federal District Court in Houston in 2002 in connection with transactions tied to Enron, the energy company that collapsed in 2001. Prosecutors say the three were involved with the sale of NatWest’s stake in an Enron asset that gave NatWest less profit than it should have had while personally benefiting the bankers and some Enron executives. The three deny any criminal conduct, and the bank has not pressed charges against them. The fate of the bankers — David Bermingham, Giles Darby and Gary Mulgrew — has ignited widespread outrage in Britain, where they are known as the NatWest Three. British politicians and business executives have criticized their transfer to the United States, asserting that zealous American prosecution of white-collar criminals after a spate of corporate fraud has gone too far. Mr. Coulbeck, 53, provided evidence in the case against the bankers, said two people who worked on the prosecution’s case but who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are no longer involved in it. Mr. Coulbeck had nothing to do with the approval or execution of the transactions in question, these people said, and Mr. Coulbeck was not questioned repeatedly. From 2000 to 2001, Mr. Coulbeck was head of North American financial markets for NatWest’s corporate bank. Royal Bank of Scotland bought NatWest in 2000. Mr. Coulbeck took an early retirement from Royal Bank of Scotland in 2004, the bank said. His last job there was head treasurer. “There is no evidence that Neil was involved in the approval of the transaction under investigation,” the bank said. The bank said Mr. Coulbeck was “a respected, capable and hard-working member of our senior management team.” The political controversy surrounding the case centers on a treaty signed by the United States and Britain that permits either country to extradite citizens of the other while supplying limited evidence for a case. It was introduced as a tool to fight terrorism, but the United States has also used it to try to prosecute white-collar criminals. On Tuesday, the House of Lords passed a resolution to overturn the treaty, and the treaty was debated Wednesday in Parliament. The controversy comes in part because the United States has not ratified the treaty, though it was signed into law in Britain in 2004. It could be months before the United States ratifies the treaty. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee discussed it last year, and a hearing will be held July 19 to explore its impact on Irish-American activists. The three former NatWest bankers have spent more than a year fighting their extradition, pleading with British courts to try them instead, but all their appeals have been denied. Dozens of British chief executives, politicians and human rights activists have asked their government to step in, but the Home Office has refused. “The U.K. government has not protected its citizens enough,” said Mark Spragg, a lawyer for the three bankers. Britain has similar extradition agreements with other countries in Europe, but the United States should be treated as a special case because “those countries don’t try to assert jurisdiction over a number of financial crimes,” he said. “If you send anything electronically and it goes through America, they can claim jurisdiction, which is not the same in Europe or Australia,” Mr. Spragg said. Some of the evidence against the former NatWest bankers is in e-mail form, the people who worked on the prosecution’s case said. British supporters of the bankers, and much of the British news media, say they are in danger of being put into prison cells next to murderers. Prime Minister Tony Blair told Parliament on Wednesday that the three bankers would probably to be granted bail in Houston; some in Britain had considered that unlikely. “American prosecutors will not oppose bail as long as the appropriate conditions are put in place,” he said.
Published: July 13, 2006
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#1. To: aristeides (#0)
this is probably not getting much publicity in the US but over here there is a large amount of coverage and various public people who are normally reticent are openly condemning the one-sided extradition arrangements and the unjust legal system in the US. its very strange to see "right-wing" business leaders marching and speaking alongside "left-wing" civil liberties activists to jointly decry this treaty. its being lumped in with the questionable legality of the Iraq war, the maverick actions of the security services, the creeping growth of the police state and all that stuff. people are openly referring to "vice-president Blair", calling him a lackey of the Bush administration, calling him a traitor etc. whether the men were guilty of fraud seems to be immaterial. its part of the growing unease that the "special relationship" between the US and the UK is causing too much grief and too much freedom is being sacrificed to feed the politicians' "war on terror". for example, i was stunned this morning when our postman, who is a quiet and uncontroversial man, actually suggested we should suspend diplomatic relations with the US until it stops being a rogue state and a threat to world peace. "Don't get me wrong," he said, "I've got nothing against Americans - just their rotten government." however, he did admit that the UK government is another bunch of rogues too. so that's sort of fair lol is that the nature of the "special relationship" - that the people of the US and the UK are both cursed by bad governments? what seems to really stick in people's throats about the case against these men is that the "crime" did not really affect anyone in the US - if it was fraud, the "victim" was a UK bank. whatever the technicalities of the case, it gives people the feeling that we are being bullied and exploited by the US legal system. and on top of the growing unease about the mess in Iraq and Afghanistan, together with the nagging doubts that 9/11 and 7/7 were genuine terrorist acts, there is a feeling that the UK should distance itself from the US. i don't think that would help at all but i can understand why people are talking this way :(
love ruthie whether the men were guilty of fraud seems to be immaterial. its part of the growing unease that the "special relationship" between the US and the UK is causing too much grief and too much freedom is being sacrificed to feed the politicians' "war on terror". for example, i was stunned this morning when our postman, who is a quiet and uncontroversial man, actually suggested we should suspend diplomatic relations with the US until it stops being a rogue state and a threat to world peace. "Don't get me wrong," he said, "I've got nothing against Americans - just their rotten government." great post, ruthie. it's really neat for us to get a european point of view.
As for WWIII, let's try something new. All I'm saying is give isolationism a chance.~~Pissed Off Janitor
This gets weirder and weirder. Makes you wonder if it were true that Enron owned one of the 9-11 jets too.
XXXXXX
http://www.myspace.com/ruthiesb69
#2. To: ruthie, Jethro Tull, robin, Zipporah, ALL (#1)
its being lumped in with the questionable legality of the Iraq war, the maverick actions of the security services, the creeping growth of the police state and all that stuff. people are openly referring to "vice-president Blair", calling him a lackey of the Bush administration, calling him a traitor etc.
#3. To: aristeides (#0)
 | What's that Mr. Nipples? You want me to ask the nice lady about her rack?. |
#4. To: ruthie (#1)
Thanks for the UK viewpoint ruthie. We've posted a few threads here on this intrigue, the best info coming from UK papers.
#5. To: robin (#4)
umm, i forgot to add there's also references in the UK media to serious problems in the US Senate about the treaty originally signed by Ashcroft - it could mean that IRA members given "sanctuary" in the States could be extradited to Britain without the American courts having ANY say in whether there was a case to answer. think about it. an extradition warrant served on a citizen by a foreign government and the country's legal system having NO powers to contest it...this is the reality in the UK right now, courtesy of that despicable man called Blair
love
ruthie
XXXXXX
http://www.myspace.com/ruthiesb69
#6. To: ruthie, aristeides (#5)
So was the original intent of this treaty to allow the U.S. to extradite "moooslim t'rrsts"?
serious problems in the US Senate about the treaty originally signed by Ashcroft
#7. To: ruthie (#1)
"Bush's poodle" is one I've heard. Much of the rest of the world feels just the same. Too bad for those people that their governments are just as corrupt. I've noticed. ;0)
people are openly referring to "vice-president Blair", calling him a lackey of the Bush administration, calling him a traitor etc.
suspend diplomatic relations with the US until it stops being a rogue state and a threat to world peace. "Don't get me wrong," he said, "I've got nothing against Americans - just their rotten government."
the UK government is another bunch of rogues too.
"To be nobody-but-yourself - in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else - means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can ever fight; and never stop fighting." E.E. Cummings
#8. To: ruthie (#5)
Is the treaty subject to review by the High Court and the House of Lords? Is it subject to review by the European Court of Human Rights?
#9. To: aristeides (#8)
umm, from what i understand, no it isn't subject to review as the House of Lords can't overrule the House of Commons due to a thing called the Parliament Act (stops the Lords from vetoing the Commons) and the treaty seems to be outside the scope of the Human Rights conventions. my brother-in-law who is a lawyer (Scottish not English - they have a different system) thinks all of these things will have been looked at and tried. the only thing the English courts can do is make sure the paperwork is correct and the right people have been cited for extradition. they can't consider the reasons or the evidence. its more like the FBI says "trust us - we're right" and the courts say "okay, do you want them wrapped or take-away?". the 3 men just extradited for example may get bailed but the cost of bail could be very high and they may have to stay in the US. the case may take up to 2 years before it can be heard in your court. all the evidence and witnesses are in the UK - not in the US. the men can't work in your country and have no means of income. if they can't afford legal representation they will get none. and there's a subtle difference here too - the UK has no citizens, no constitutional rights. we are all loyal subjects of Her Majesty in whose name Her government makes and enacts laws. in other words, the government (Blair and his cronies) call the shots. the rest is just detail.
Is the treaty subject to review by the High Court and the House of Lords? Is it subject to review by the European Court of Human Rights?
love
ruthie
XXXXXX
http://www.myspace.com/ruthiesb69
#10. To: ruthie (#9)
So was "V for Vendetta" a big hit in the UK?
the only thing the English courts can do is make sure the paperwork is correct and the right people have been cited for extradition. they can't consider the reasons or the evidence. its more like the FBI says "trust us - we're right" and the courts say "okay, do you want them wrapped or take-away?".
#11. To: robin (#10)
umm, i don't know - please remember we have our own ready supply of "sheeple" as some people call them in this forum. there's a surplus of stupid, indifferent, gullible, easily led humans on this side of the Atlantic too otherwise, how do we end up with the rubbish governments like the Bush and Blair administrations? and then again, look at the state of the other European governments like France and Italy - the grass certainly isn't greener i can assure you!
So was "V for Vendetta" a big hit in the UK?
love
ruthie
XXXXXX
http://www.myspace.com/ruthiesb69
#12. To: ruthie (#1)
Great stuff, ruthie. Keep the news from across the pond coming :)
#13. To: ruthie (#11)
The Knesset, and now the Kadima (translation: Forward party). I'm not certain Lord Levy actually broke the law, but if stressed, he could be Blair's Downing Street Memos times 10.
how do we end up with the rubbish governments like the Bush and Blair administrations?
“Yes, but is this good for Jews?"
#14. To: aristeides (#0)
Another Enron-related "suicide?" Former Enron exec dies in apparent suicide SUGAR LAND, Texas (CNN) -- Former Enron Corp. vice chairman J. Clifford Baxter was found dead in his car in a Houston suburb early Friday, the victim of an apparent suicide, police said. Baxter made millions on the sale of Enron stock, but reportedly was unhappy with Enron's business practices and resigned as vice chairman in May. He had remained as an Enron consultant. Enron, once a giant energy corporation, has collapsed in the biggest bankruptcy filing in U.S. history amid accusations of mishandling of funds and shredding of crucial documents. Enron and its accounting firm, Andersen LLP, are under congressional investigation. Congressional sources told CNN that Baxter, 43, had been among several Enron officials that investigators had wanted to interview. And the Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, led by Michigan Democrat Carl Levin, D-Michigan, had asked for documents from Baxter as part of a batch of subpoenas sent out January 11. J. Clifford Baxter and Enron Baxter made a profit of $21,980,470 from selling more than 600,000 shares of Enron stock since October of 1998. One of 29 former and current Enron executives and board members named as defendants in shareholder lawsuit. Resigned as vice chairman in May of 2001, but continued working for Enron as a consultant. Baxter "complained mightily to [then-Enron President and CEO Jeff] Skilling and all who would listen about the inappropriateness of our transactions with LJM (a limited partnership)," Enron Vice President Sherron Watkins wrote in August 2001. In weeks before his death, Senate subcommittee subpoenaed Baxter documents and House committee investigators tried to arrange a meeting with him. Police in Sugar Land said Baxter was found in his 2002 Mercedes Benz with a gunshot wound to the head at 2:23 a.m. Friday. "He was discovered inside a vehicle parked between two medians," police spokeswoman Pat Whitty said. "A suicide note was found at the scene. There was no sign of foul play. Inside his wallet was an ID indicating he was an employee of Enron." Baxter was among the Enron officers and directors who made massive profits cashing in on Enron stock options, netting nearly $22 million since October 1998, according to records of stock exchange transactions. Thomson Market Strategies, a CNN consultant, said Baxter sold more than 600,000 shares of Enron on the open market during the period, including nearly 490,000 he had bought at bargain prices. The trades were often made on the same day, using options granted to him by Enron. His total profits, after deducting the cost of exercising options, was $21,980,470. Watkins: Baxter unhappy with Enron deals Baxter joined Enron in 1991. He was chairman and CEO of Enron North America before being named chief strategy officer for Enron in June 2000 and vice chairman in October 2000. In a letter to then-Chairman Ken Lay, Enron Vice President Sherron Watkins said Baxter had been unhappy about Enron's dealings with one of its limited partnerships. "Cliff Baxter complained mightily to [then-Enron President and CEO Jeff] Skilling and all who would listen about the inappropriateness of our transactions with LJM," Watkins wrote, referring to one of the partnerships linked to Enron's collapse last fall. Watkins' lawyer, Philip Hilder, said Friday that she was "deeply saddened and stunned beyond belief" by Baxter's death. "Mr. Baxter had the utmost integrity and she respected him immensely. Mrs. Watkins expresses her heartfelt sympathy and prayers to her family, " Hilder said in a prepared statement. In November, after Enron's troubles became public and its stock price collapsed, Baxter was named along with then-CEO Ken Lay and eight other senior company officials as defendants in a lawsuit filed by shareholders in U.S. District Court in Houston. The suit accuses Baxter and the others of conspiring to cover up Enron's financial troubles while profiting personally from an inflated stock price and concealing the true state of the company from other investors. Baxter's last reported stock sale was January 31, 2001, when Enron stock was still selling at $80 a share, near its all-time high. The stock is now worth less than a dollar a share. In a statement released to reporters, Enron said, "We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our friend and colleague Cliff Baxter. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends." Police did not disclose the contents of the suicide note found with Baxter. Authorities in Sugar Land said they found a .38 caliber revolver, registered to Baxter, in his car, and the local justice of the peace has ordered an autopsy. -- CNN Correspondent Alan Chernoff contributed to this report. === My note: This is very strange. The above includes some "sidebars." Go to the URL to get some audio/video. I'm having no luck finding an Enron-related plane explosion: some Enron exec was to testify to Congress. This was before this Texas-based company was renamed Enron.
There ought to be limits to freedom. - G.W. Bush, 21 May 1999
#15. To: All (#14)
With reguard to above: from other reports at the time, while the coroner concluded "suicide," others stated that the pattern of blood indicated that someone shot the victim from the open window of his vehicle (left side). Can't recall more than that at the moment.
There ought to be limits to freedom. - G.W. Bush, 21 May 1999
#16. To: All (#15)
There ought to be limits to freedom. - G.W. Bush, 21 May 1999
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