The boss of a London foreign-exchange investment firm accused of defrauding investors out of £50 million ($62.2 million) has “voluntarily absented” himself from his London trial.
Anthony Constantinou, who ran Capital World Markets Ltd., is accused of seven offenses including fraudulent trading, after prosecutors claimed he ran a Ponzi-style scheme that lured in investors with promises of eye-catching returns.
“You will see that the defendant is not here,” Judge Gregory Perrins told the jury at a hearing at London’s Southwark Crown Court Tuesday. “He has voluntarily absented himself.”
“It is not in any way an admission of guilt in his part, he has maintained his not guilty pleas,” said Perrins, confirming that the trial will continue to go ahead without him.
Source: Anthony Constantinou, Capital World Markets Boss, Missing From London Fraud Case – Bloomberg
