Letters | 9 July 2011

Back at Black

Sir: With one exception, Conrad Black’s article (‘I’ll be back’, 2 July) is a succession of inaccuracies and outright lies. Among the most blatant is his assertion that he received a payment of $6 million in compensation for libel from Richard Breeden and the Special Committee which investigated and reported the frauds which Black perpetuated and for which a Chicago jury found him guilty. Not only did Black not receive any apology or payment from Breeden, but Breeden and his committee issued a statement last week stating they adhere to their original conclusions. Indeed, all the American courts, including the Supreme court, upheld the jury’s verdict that Black is dishonest. However it is true that Black received some money from an insurance indemnity policy which he was entitled to as a Hollinger director to pay legal fees. To mislead your readers, he has confused the issues.

It is a reflection of Black’s character that he accuses Christopher Browne, the fund manager who in 2001 started the investigation of Black’s management of Hollinger which led to his ultimate conviction, of having ‘committed suicide by alcoholism’. That’s an outrageous libel. Browne, whose clients earned millions through his diligent investments, was a saintly man who enjoyed an occasional drink and for years suffered severe heart problems. He died of an aneurism after a stroke.

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I sat through Black’s trial. The evidence against him was overwhelming, which is why he was too cowardly to testify in his own defence. All the emails between Black and David Radler, his lifelong partner, showed that Black was the mastermind of the fraudulent ‘non-compete’ fees, which Black himself had credited for enriching himself and Radler. All Hollinger’s directors testified that Black had lied to them to perpetuate the fraud and despite Black’s vigorous cross-examination, their evidence was believed by the jury.