* Lawyer alleges manipulation of taped interview of Kerviel
* Says 6 out of 12 hours of total interview time were cut
* Kerviel says life has been “hell” since scandal broke in
2008
By Lionel Laurent
PARIS, April 27 (Reuters) – Former Societe Generale
trader Jerome Kerviel, who is appealing a three-year
prison sentence for his role in France’s biggest rogue trading
scandal, plans to sue his former employer for forgery and
manipulation of evidence.
Kerviel, who told journalists on Friday he had gone through
“hell” since the revelation in 2008 that SocGen had lost 4.9
billion euros ($6.5 billion) unwinding his risky bets, said that
audio recordings used as evidence at his 2010 trial had been
tampered with.
The lawsuit, if filed on Friday, will be the second in as
many weeks levelled by Kerviel against SocGen ahead of his
appeal, slated for June 4. Last week, Kerviel’s lawyer David
Koubbi filed a suit against SocGen for obtaining a verdict under
false pretences and said on Friday he planned to file a second
lawsuit. “We are filing a suit for forgery,” Koubbi said.
For its part, Societe Generale dismissed the allegations,
saying in a statement that Kerviel “was building media buzz”
before his appeal. “This strategy aims to harm the image of the
bank by taking elements from the court cases … out of context
or presenting them as new when they add nothing to the real
issues.”
Sitting in a converted Paris cinema and wearing an
open-necked pink shirt, a steely faced Kerviel let his lawyer
Koubbi do most of the talking.
Koubbi said earlier this month his team was given access to
original audio recordings of Kerviel being interviewed by his
superiors, a transcript of which was submitted as evidence.
According to Koubbi, around half of the duration of the
interviews had been cut.
“Over a total hearing time of 12 hours there are cuts
totaling … six hours,” Koubbi said. “These tapes have been
tampered with.”
Kerviel said he clearly remembered saying to one of his
superiors during these interviews that the bank was aware of his
trades, something that SocGen has always denied. This was
missing from the tapes, he said.
Kerviel, who has never denied he covered up his massive
trading positions but has always claimed his superiors knew what
he was doing, said he was confident the fresh evidence would
help him win his appeal.
“These last four years have been hell,” he said. “My name
has been tainted and dragged through the mud.”
The news conference comes a week after Koubbi said Kerviel
would sue SocGen for obtaining a verdict under false pretences,
a criminal charge that implies a party may have concealed
evidence that contradicts the final verdict.
The sharply dressed, media-savvy Koubbi is known for
representing high-profile clients like actress Isabelle Adjani
and Tristane Banon, the writer who last year accused former IMF
chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of attempted rape in 2003. French
public prosecutors dropped their probe due to lack of evidence.
SocGen, France’s second-biggest listed bank, said last week
and reiterated on Friday it would countersue for “false
accusation” and promised to develop its position once Kerviel’s
appeal begins on June 4.
