The Ethical Banker
Page 6
positively.
Harold picked up his coffee and headed to the office.
At 9:30 am, after immense pressure from the bank, politicians and the Press, Mr Donald Solomon Kenyon through his lawyer tendered his resignation.
Eight bankers immediately lined up for his job minutes after the statement. The TV stations again started broadcasting the breaking news.
Profiles of the competitors for the top job at Global Capital were broadcast on all TV stations and the way it looked, the DSK news was going to dominate the country's news all week and maybe more.
The story took a sudden twist at 4 pm when Mr Kenyon appeared at the Central Criminal Court at the Old bailey, accompanied by his lawyer.
DSK was cross examined first by the hotel maid's lawyer who kept repeating the words “rape”, “unlawful sexual contact” for the benefit of the jury, the media and even perhaps the defendant's wife.
Although Mr Kenyon had already admitted he had sex with woman, the lawyer wanted more of that part.
“So you had sex with her but you didn't rape her?” The lawyer asked.
“Yes. The sex was consensual.”
“But, I understand you are married. So perhaps this woman was your mistress, girlfriend or lover?”
“Objection! My Lord, I don't understand where this is leading,” Neil Edwards knew which ever answer his client gave would discredit him.
“My Lord, I am just trying to paint a picture that the defendant had forceful sex with a woman he hardly knew.”
“Objection over ruled. The defendant may answer.”
“She was not my mistress, and not my lover,” DSK answered trying to remain calm.
“She wasn't your girlfriend, not your lover. So in what capacity did you have consensual sex with her as you claim?”
Laughter in the courtroom.
Whichever answer he gave would discredit him. Already he had been demonised by the tabloids.
“We had an understanding.”
“Who is we?”
Laughter.
“I talked to her and we decided to have sex. Both of us.”
“I bet you did,” the lawyer mocked him while making funny faces at the jury.
“Laughter”
“And you are a married family man?”
“Objection! My Lord that is irrelevant,” Neil was on his feet.
“Objection sustained, try to focus on the topic,” the judge warned.
“I am sorry your honour,” said the maid's lawyer but he actually didn't care. He had asked the question deliberately well knowing it was irrelevant. He knew there were some married women on the jury who would love to hear that and they wouldn't forgive this dirty millionaire banker.
“Okay, can you say both of you enjoyed the sexual encounter?”
Laughter in the courtroom.
“Objection! Your honour, my client is not supposed to answer that,” Neil was on his feet again well knowing that whichever answer DSK gave would cause laughter and discredit him further.
“I am trying to paint a picture. If they both enjoyed the sexual encounter, then we can assume it wasn't rape. It's very simple.”
“The defendant may answer,” the judge decided.
“I guess we did.”
Uncontrollable laughter in the courtroom.
The judge had to bang his gavel against wooden desk to bring back order in the courtroom.
“Did you use a condom?”
“Objection! My Lord, counsel is turning this court session into a drama. We cannot go into the intimate details that go on in bedrooms behind closed doors.”
“My Lord, it's because of what counsel calls intimate details that we are here. I am trying to establish a fact here. It’s a yes or no question. Very simple unless he cannot remember.”
“Objection over ruled”
Neil felt disgusted, the judge was now becoming unfair!
“No.”
“If it had been consensual, perhaps you would have had time to use a condom.”
“It was consensual, is all I can tell you,” DSK said, sounding more like a fool every other minute.
“Perhaps, what you can tell me is one thing. I didn't understand what you meant by 'an understanding' you had with the lady to have sex.”
“I think I told you already,” DSK answered, starting to get angry. Exactly what any trial lawyer wants, the witness to snap, lose their calm and even yell.
“Then you will have to tell me again, I didn't quite grasp it.”
“We had a mutual interest. We talked as two adults and decided to have sex.”
“If that had been the case, you wouldn't be here, would you?”
Laughter.
“But Mutual interest is a very good phrase,” said the lawyer, before adding, “ you are the only person I have come across who goes on having mutual interests with hotel maids at the hotels he stays.”
Loud laughter in the courtroom.
Neil was about to object when the hotel maid's lawyer waved DSK away.
“No more questions.”
Neil knew one thing for sure. DSK had been shred to pieces and humiliated in a fully packed courtroom. His credibility was zero.
The only miracle he was praying for was one- surprise. It's what he wanted.
He only prayed that the woman had not mentioned her past exploits to her lawyer.
He drank some cold water from his glass, then took to the floor.
The hotel maid took to the stand. She was well dressed in a cream Cashmere sweater and had a purple scarf tied loosely and elegantly around her neck.
Even through the sweater, Neil could see that she had a pair of large breasts-probably silicone. But whether silicone or natural, it could have been the breasts that had mainly attracted that foxy banker. Because her face though quite attractive, was mostly plain. “Shit!” he thought. This was court. He pinched himself as punishment for letting his mind wander. He thanked the judge, the jury and everyone present for their time then started cross examining the maid by getting friendly and letting her relax. Then he switched abruptly and asked her if she sometimes works as a prostitute or has sex for money, gifts or any other favours.
“No, I just work as a hotel maid, that's it,” she claimed.
Then he produced evidence that she had spent a year working as an escort for a Greenwich escort agency while at the same time claiming unemployment benefits and job seekers' allowance. He pulled out the documents from a manila file and handed them to the judge. She was startled. Who could have known about her past?
He then asked her if she had ever lied to Police or any other authorities intentionally. She again said no.
He pulled out two pieces of paper from his manila file and handed them to her.
“Do you have a recollection of this?” He just wanted her reaction and he got it.
She couldn't conceal her emotions and immediately expressed her shock.
I will remind you, “ When speed cameras recorded your boyfriend speeding and was going to lose points on his license, he convinced you to claim that you had been behind the wheel, which you did. Further research by Police, it turned out that on that very night, you had been booked by your escort agency to escort a VIP client to Brighton, which you did and you worked all night. Laughter in the courtroom! He waited for the laughter to die down and then carried on, “ so you couldn't have been escorting a VIP client in Brighton and driving your boyfriend's car in London at the same time. Unless I am missing something here.
“Objection my Lord! This is in no way related to the current rape case,” interrupted the hotel maid's lawyer.
“Your honour, I am only trying to establish the credibility, honesty and reliability of the plaintiff. The fact that she moonlights as a prostitute is related to this case,” Neil Edwards pressed.
“Objection over ruled. You may continue.” The judge gave clearance after a brief hesitation.
Neil paused a minute until all court was silent and all eyes fixed on him. He pulled out c
opies of bank details from his manila file, handed some to the lady and some to the judge. Then he fired another question, “ Madam, only six months ago you were on state welfare. You had a side gig as an escort alright, and now you work as a hotel maid earning six pounds an hour. Perhaps you can explain how all of a sudden you have £150,000 in your bank account. And just to let you know, that's about what our beloved Prime Minister earns in a year. In fact, the Prime Minister earns £142,500 to be exact. Maybe, just maybe, the Prime Minister and I chose the wrong careers!” Laughter in the courtroom!
“Objection! My Lord, I don't understand where this is heading and it's completely unrelated,” the hotel maid's lawyer struggled to be heard above the laughter.
“ Your honour, I am trying to establish the plaintiff's record and association with the criminal underworld which will prove that my client has been targeted and a victim of blackmail and extortion. That money in the bank may be a result of extortion or blackmail. Also, the witness has discussed this case with some suspected criminals,” Neil countered.
Neil's argument made perfect sense. If this hotel maid had £150,000 in her bank and couldn't say the source, there was a possibility that she was into blackmail and extortion and that's how DSK had ended up a pawn in her game.
“Objection over ruled, perhaps your client could answer some of the questions.”
The journalists were all transfixed watching how Neil Edwards was turning the case around as he had promised.
There were murmurs in the courtroom which prompted the judge to call for order. When all was silent, Neil carried on.
“Madam, do you associate with people who are involved or have been involved in any criminal activities?”
“No. I don't.”
“By the way, where is your boyfriend at the