His flat denial of the bribery charges are exactly the sort of spirited defence his supporters expect.

It could come to a head within hours, should he plead guilty to bribery charges to avoid a long trial and possible jail term.

This week, accounting for the bribery charges was compounded by a big hit on the company's currency hedges.

Three weeks later, he was indicted on unrelated bribery charges.

Indeed, several money managers were eventually convicted on bribery charges.