Kerviel's sentence upheld
October 24, 2012The Court of Appeals in Paris rejected Kerviel's appeal on Wednesday, saying the five-year sentence - two of which had been suspended - would stand, and the money Kerviel (pictured above on the left) cost the bank must be repaid.
"Jerome Kerviel was the sole creator, inventor and user of a fraudulent system that caused these damages to Societe Generale," the court's written ruling said.
David Koubbi, Kerviel's lawyer (pictured above on the right), said the decision was an "absolutely appalling injustice," and added that Kerviel may look to take the case one step further to France's highest court, the Court of Cassation.
Kerviel's original conviction in 2010 was for breach of trust, forgery, and putting fraudulent data into Societe Generale's computer network in order to facilitate risky trades. Although he admitted the dodgy trades took place, Kerviel has maintained that the bank knew of his activities. Societe Generale denies that claim.
While the appeal was pending, Kerviel remained a free man, and was not immediately taken to jail after the court's verdict on Wednesday.
mz/hc (Reuters, AFP, dpa)