英国前交易员Bittar利率操纵罪定罪被推翻

前城市交易员Christian Bittar因欺诈罪的定罪被推翻，成为第八位因利率操纵案件获得定罪撤销的人士1。英国最高法院发现原审存在过错，认定陪审团收到了"不准确和不公平"的指示，这些指示"剥夺"了被告获得公正审判的权利1。Bittar曾于2018年因违反欺诈罪名被判违法1。

本周三同时被推翻定罪的还有五名前巴克莱银行交易员，分别为Jay Vijay Merchant、Jonathan Mathew、Philippe Moryoussef、Alex Pabon和Colin Bermingham1。这些案件涉及对欧元银行同业拆借率（Euribor）和伦敦银行同业拆借率（Libor）的操纵1。严重欺诈办公室（SFO）曾反对Bittar的上诉，但未反对其他五人的上诉1。

Euribor和Libor这两项利率影响着全球数百万普通民众的养老金、抵押贷款和储蓄，以及全球价值数百万亿英镑和欧元的金融产品1。一年前，英国最高法院曾推翻了前UBS和花旗集团交易员Tom Hayes以及前巴克莱交易员Carlo Palombo的十年定罪1。此外，第九名被判罪的交易员Peter Johnson也打算上诉推翻定罪1。

The fraud conviction of former city trader Christian Bittar has been quashed, making him the eighth person to have their conviction overturned in the interest rate rigging scandal 1. This decision follows the overturning of convictions for five former Barclays Bank traders earlier this week—Jay Vijay Merchant, Jonathan Mathew, Philippe Moryoussef, Alex Pabon, and Colin Bermingham 1. Bittar was convicted in 2018 at Deutsche Bank on fraud charges 1.

The Supreme Court found that the original trial contained significant procedural errors, determining that the jury had received instructions that were "inaccurate and unfair," thereby depriving the defendants of their right to a fair trial 1. This represents part of a broader pattern of overturned convictions in the scandal; one year prior, the court had quashed the decade-long convictions of Tom Hayes, a former UBS and Citigroup trader, and Carlo Palombo, a former Barclays trader 1. While the Serious Fraud Office opposed Bittar's appeal, it did not oppose the appeals of the other five traders 1.

The manipulation of Euribor and Libor rates—European and London interbank lending benchmarks—affected millions of ordinary people globally, with repercussions for pensions, mortgages, and savings, as well as for trillions of pounds and euros worth of financial products worldwide 1. A ninth convicted trader, Peter Johnson, has indicated his intention to appeal to overturn his conviction 1.