Hayes Libor trial is no open-and-shut case, defence argues

摘要

The criminal trial of Tom Hayes, the former trader charged with Libor rigging offences, is not an open-and-shut case despite reams of written requests made by him to others to influence interest rates, a London court heard last Tuesday. In his first speech to the jury as the high-profile trial reaches its final stages, defending counsel Neil Hawes denied Hayes was dishonest or had run a "Nuremberg Defence", seeking to avoid guilt by claiming to be acting on the orders of superiors. "He has never said he didn't do the things he has done. What he has sought is not an excuse ... it's transparency," Hawes said, labelling the prosecution's case against Hayes "cunningly simple and attractive".