Kweku Adoboli, the UBS trader accused of losing US$2.3 billion, broke down in
tears as he took to the witness stand for the first time in his trial in London
today.
Before entering the witness box at Southwark Crown Court, Adoboli was
charged with two further counts of false accounting, to which he pleaded not
guilty, AFP reports.
He choked up and wiped his eyes with a handkerchief when
his lawyer noted that his father, a Ghanaian former United Nations official, had
been at the court to support him since his trial began on September
10.
Adoboli, 32, stands accused of faking hedge deals by inventing clients,
leaving the giant Swiss bank exposed to huge losses when the market turned
against him.
In addition to the new charges, he also denies two charges of
fraud and two charges of false accounting relating to a period between October
2008 and September last year.
Wearing a dark suit, white shirt and a red tie,
Adoboli stood up slowly and walked calmly to the witness box.
“This is the
first opportunity you have had to give evidence on oath,'' his lawyer Paul
Garlick told him.
Adoboli confirmed his name, date of birth and place of
birth as the Ghanaian capital Accra.
He said he had three younger sisters and
confirmed his father worked for the UN. He described his early life, shuttling
between countries due to his father's work.
“He moved to Israel when I was at
the age of two. My mother and I moved to join him when I was four,'' Adoboli
told the court.
“The reality of my father's work in the UN was he was often
not home.
“I was often told make sure you look after your mother and your
sisters. At an early age I learned to take responsibility.’’
He became
emotional and wiped tears from his eyes as his lawyer said his father had been
in the courtroom throughout his trial to support him.
After recovering his
composure, he recounted how the family moved between Jerusalem and Damascus when
he was eight, then went back to Ghana when the Gulf War broke out and then
afterwards returned to Israel
Source-The standard Hong Kong--
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