Tom Cruise look-alike cast as villain
'Introvert': The man whom French media are identifying as SocGen employee Jerome Kerviel. Picture: Reuters
Saturday, January 26, 2008
A DAY after Societe Generale unveiled a fraud that cost it €4.9 billion, France's media was left wondering about a rogue trader described variously as a genius of fraud and a troubled introvert.
Dubbed "the man who blew up the bank" by the daily Le Parisien, 31-year-old Jerome Kerviel's unsmiling face adorned the covers of most of the French press yesterday, a day after his name was linked with the largest fraud in banking history.
Societe Generale has still not confirmed the identity of the dealer, but Kerviel's name surfaced within hours of the announcement and was confirmed by banking sources.
A children's judo teacher with an interest in sailing and a working knowledge of English, according to a CV that has been circulating widely, he was reported to have lost his father some years ago and to have recently broken up with a girlfriend.
Kerviel, a graduate of universities in Nantes and Lyon, with a master's degree in finance, had moved from the back office of the bank to become an apprentice trader in the dealing room.
"He was an introvert, who was generally pretty ill at ease," one former colleague told Le Parisien.
However, another office mate saw him in a different light.
"He wasn't a show off. He was more a good-looking guy, a bit like Tom Cruise," said the anonymous colleague.
Reuters
Dubbed "the man who blew up the bank" by the daily Le Parisien, 31-year-old Jerome Kerviel's unsmiling face adorned the covers of most of the French press yesterday, a day after his name was linked with the largest fraud in banking history.
Societe Generale has still not confirmed the identity of the dealer, but Kerviel's name surfaced within hours of the announcement and was confirmed by banking sources.
A children's judo teacher with an interest in sailing and a working knowledge of English, according to a CV that has been circulating widely, he was reported to have lost his father some years ago and to have recently broken up with a girlfriend.
Kerviel, a graduate of universities in Nantes and Lyon, with a master's degree in finance, had moved from the back office of the bank to become an apprentice trader in the dealing room.
"He was an introvert, who was generally pretty ill at ease," one former colleague told Le Parisien.
However, another office mate saw him in a different light.
"He wasn't a show off. He was more a good-looking guy, a bit like Tom Cruise," said the anonymous colleague.
Reuters
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