ANOTHER CROOK WHO STOLE BIG MONEY
US fraud charge tycoon disappears
Sir Allen Stanford
The US financial authorities say they do not know the whereabouts of Sir Allen Stanford, the Texan billionaire accused of an $8bn (£5.6bn) fraud.
He has not been seen since Tuesday, when the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil case in court.
The SEC said Sir Allen and two other executives promised clients unrealistic returns on certificates of deposit.
Depositors in the US, the Caribbean and South America have queued to withdraw money from banks associated with him.
No criminal charges have yet been made.
In an e-mail to his employees last week, Sir Allen promised to help the SEC probe and vowed to "fight with every breath to continue to uphold our good name and continue the legacy we have built together".
The 58-year-old, who holds joint US-Antiguan citizenship, is a flamboyant figure who has links with prominent US politicians and sports stars.
He is the biggest private-sector employer on Antigua and Barbuda.
Industry 'greed'
A civil court judge in the US has frozen the assets of Sir Allen and the other accused as well as those of the Stanford Group, its Antigua-based subsidiary Stanford International Bank (SIB), and another subsidiary, investment adviser Stanford Capital Management.
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