Last update - 00:00 29/02/2008
U.S. court denies bail for ex-Jerusalem Post publisher Conrad Black
By Reuters and The Associated Press
A federal appeals court denied on Thursday Conrad Black's request to remain free on bond, while the judges consider an appeal of his conviction for defrauding Hollinger International Inc and obstructing justice.
The three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit said the former Jerusalem Post publisher and member of Britain's House of Lords must surrender to a Florida prison to begin serving his 6.5 year sentence on March 3.
But the judges said Black and two fellow former executives convicted with him raised a "substantial" question on two of the fraud counts. Those executives, John Boultbee and Peter Atkinson, were permitted to remain free on bond during the appeal process.
Black, 62, was convicted of three counts of mail fraud and one count of obstruction of justice.
In July of last year, Black was acquitted of nine other counts, including racketeering and misuse of corporate perks, such as taking the company plane on a vacation to Bora Bora and billing shareholders $40,000 for his wife's birthday party.
The heart of the case against the husky, silver-haired publishing millionaire focused on a large-scale selloff starting in 1998 of Hollinger community papers that were published across the United States and Canada.
Companies that bought newspapers in seven such deals paid millions of dollars to Hollinger International, with headquarters in Chicago, in return for promises it would not go into competition with the new owners.
Black was charged with illegally diverting millions of dollars in those so-called non-compete payments to himself, Boultbee, Atkinson and the longtime No. 2 man in the Hollinger International empire, F. David Radler.
Black was convicted on three counts of those allegations made by prosecutors.
Related articles: