Enron Witness Found Dead

Forensic officers at the scene 'Hounded By The FBI'

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0...227489,00.html

Updated: 17:07, Wednesday July 12, 2006

A banker found dead and believed linked to a US fraud probe involving NatWest was allegedly "hounded by the FBI".

Neil Coulbeck had gone missing from his home in Woodford Green, east London, on Thursday.

Civil rights group Liberty director Shami Chakrabarti, after Mr Coulbeck's body was found today, said America's Federal Bureau of Investigation had "hounded" the man.

Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt said: "The man had been interviewed by the FBI. We don't know how important to the investigation he was but FBI sources suggest he was a pivotal character in the case."

Mr Coulbeck's body was discovered in Waltham Forest, east London. He was Head of Group Treasury at the Royal Bank of Scotland and is thought to have been a possible witness in the NatWest Three case.

The discovery comes as MPs debate the controversial decision to extradite three British bankers - dubbed the NatWest Three - to the US to face charges over the scandal.

The men, who previously worked for NatWest, are accused of taking part in a multi-million pound fraud connected to the collapse of Enron.

All three - David Bermingham, Gary Mulgrew and Giles Darby - have denied any wrongdoing. They could spend up to two years in a high-security US prison awaiting trial unless they are granted bail.

The move to send them to Houston, Texas, is at the centre of a row over Britain's extradition agreement with the United States.

A deal to counter terrorism, agreed after the September 11 attacks in 2001, means the US can easily extradite British people to stand trial in America - even if the case has nothing to do with terrorism.

But because the US Senate has not ratified the deal, Britain does not have a similar right.

The Goverment insists that the deal makes little or no difference in practice. But Opposition politicians say it is unfair and one-sided.

Before Mr Coulbeck was named publicly, Mr Bermingham said the discovery of his body "put everything that's happened to us in perspective".

He said: "One day when this is all over I'm going to be coming home to my wife and children and some poor guy is not and my heart goes out to his wife and family."

I don't know much about this case, but it sure sounds like the Government has something to hide. And since killing people has always been one of our governments TOP menu choices, their ordering up some silent salad here.

pretty scary what the gov is capabale of---just business as usual