SocGen rogue trader Kerviel to get his day of reckoning in court
A PARIS judge will tomorrow decide whether former trader Jerome Kerviel should be punished for his freewheeling market bets that brought French bank Societe Generale to the brink of collapse in 2008.
The 33-year-old ex-trader, who now works for a technology consultancy, risks five years in prison and a €375,000 (£323,000) fine if found guilty of charges of breach of trust, computer abuse and forgery.
At the end of Kerviel’s high-profile three-week trial in June, his defence team pleaded guilty to computer abuse but rejected the other charges.
The public prosecutor has recommended Kerviel serve at least four years behind bars, with a fifth year suspended. Tuesday’s verdict is critical for SocGen, which has worked hard to clean up its image since the scandal.