NatWest Three trial likely to be delayed

Published on Tuesday 1 August 2006 00:56

THE NatWest Three will not be ready for trial in the United States in September because two of the former bankers are looking for new lawyers.

Gary Mulgrew, 44, David Bermingham, 43, and Giles Darby, 43, all had American lawyers when they arrived in Houston, Texas, after being extradited from Britain on 13 July to face the 11 million Enron-related fraud case.

The magistrate, Stephen Smith, scheduled their trial for 11 September, a date which both sides had expected to be postponed anyway.

The accused were released on bail of 2.1 million but barred from returning to the UK.

Lawyers for Mulgrew - the son of the Labour MSP Trish Godman - and Darby withdrew from the case after initial appearances and a bail proceeding, as had been agreed.

Yesterday Dan Cogdell, the lawyer for Bermingham, and the prosecution suggested holding off on setting a new trial date until Mulgrew and Darby found new lawyers.

The magistrate is due to consider the issue at a hearing today.

It is alleged that in 2000 the three men advised their former employer, NatWest, to sell part of a company owned by collapsed US giant Enron for less than it was worth. They were said to have left the bank and bought a stake in the company, which they sold on at a significantly higher price to make a huge profit.

The three men, who deny the accusations, fought extradition for two years before being flown to the US to face charges.