The Golden Strawberry

Following my earlier post on the Natwest Three, I thought I'd add some more detail. There's a good article in Private Eye about the extradition I think you ought to read. I'm not going to quote any, because a) I'm not sure on copyright laws and b) if you want to read it all that badly you can buy your own (skinflints!), but here is the thrust:

There are several dodgy e-mails sent between the three as evidence, including this peach, from David Bermingham to Gary Mulgrew (two-thirds of the Natwest Three):

I will be the first to be delighted if he (Andy Fastow, their chief financial officer) has found a way to...steal a large portion for himself.

The case should be investigated by the Americans and not the British. The Americans have their case together first, therefore under the "rules" of international frauds, they should go ahead and prosecute. Many Americans who will stand as witnesses were very unlikely to come to the UK and testify anyway. And the allegedly dodgy account where the "ill-gotten gains" was supposed to be paid into set up was in the Cayman Islands, not London.

There is more than enough case to answer (the criteria needed to extradite suspects) and so far the three have been staying in a hotel, not a prison. Hardly the squalor the British Press wanted us to believe these bankers would be placed in.

The prosecution have asked the defendants to serve seven to nine years in jail if found guilty. 35 years is merely the theoretical maxiumum. 

As I say, for the rest buy Private Eye. Too much has focused on the admittedly naff Treaty, rather than concentrate on the fact that these people are suspected of stealing hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars. Surely it is in the interests of all concerned that the three face trial, and justice, rather than heed to the curious campaign led by rags such as the Telegraph.

For a BBC FAQ about the Natwest three, read this.

-posted by Roy