Ex-Wickes boss （疑いを）晴らすd of 詐欺

By This Is Money
Updated: 00:00 BST, 26 June 2003

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A FORMER 最高の，を越す (n)役員／(a)執行力のある of a DIY 巨大（な） was （疑いを）晴らすd today of helping put a 偽の £40m gloss on the company's 利益（をあげる）s.

But in an 驚くべき／特命の／臨時の 開発 after the 事例／患者, 賠審員s trying Leslie Rosenthal - one-time group tradings director for Wickes - were told he had once 認める to hiding 文書s central to the 事例／患者.

合法的な 制限s had 妨げるd the 起訴 using that 自白 as 証拠 against him.

The unusual 発覚 by Serious 詐欺 Office QC Anthony 切り開く／タクシー／不正アクセスing 示すd the end of a 一連の 法廷，裁判所 審理，公聴会s 概算の to have cost £18 million and borne of a 詐欺 everyone 伴う／関わるd 受託するd had occurred but for which no-one had been 罪人／有罪を宣告するd.

The scam grew out of Wickes's ill-運命／宿命d £283m 取得／買収 of 子会社 Hunter 木材／素質, which 本気で 土台を崩すd the company's 財政上の 井戸／弁護士席-存在. まっただ中に 恐れるs of a £50 million 穴を開ける in the balance sheet, 証拠 示唆するd that 利益（をあげる）s began to be falsified as 早期に as 1990.

At the heart of the deceit was a carefully （手先の）技術d 'two-letter system'. It not only 許すd 偽の 利益（をあげる）s to be 記録，記録的な／記録するd but 保護するd the company's 株 price by hiding the true level of 貿易（する）ing between the group and its 供給者s. London's Southwark 栄冠を与える 法廷，裁判所 was also told it also enabled serious 財政上の 不正行為s in its 調書をとる／予約するs to be 隠すd.

One 始める，決める of 文書s 詳細（に述べる）d the true 条件 of 取引，協定s with those 在庫／株ing Wickes' 蓄える／店s, while the other, created for 'audit 確定／確認' 目的s, did not.

Rosenthal, 53, of Loxheath, Southampton, had 否定するd one 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金 of making a 誤った 声明 to the company's auditors. The 栄冠を与える 申し立てられた／疑わしい he played a '主要な／長／主犯 役割' in what occurred during 1994 and 1995. For his part, Rosenthal 受託するd there had been a 詐欺, but 主張するd he was innocent of any wrong-doing.

However, after more than eight hours of 審議s over three days, the 陪審／陪審員団 had to be 発射する／解雇するd after failing to reach a 判決.

Mr 切り開く／タクシー／不正アクセスing said that as the SFO had already decided a retrial under such circumstances would not be in the public 利益／興味, he was 正式に 申し込む／申し出ing no 証拠 against the 主張 Rosenthal had 直面するd, 同様に as a 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金 of fraudulent 貿易（する）ing which had not appeared on the 起訴，告発.

After 裁判，公判 裁判官 Mr 司法（官） Mitting had directed that not gui lty 判決s on both counts should be entered on the 法廷，裁判所 記録，記録的な／記録するs, 栄冠を与える Counsel then 輪郭（を描く）d some of the history to the 事例／患者.