The Independant – Insiders at the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Wall Street watchdog, and at the Justice Department say that there are more civil charges and more criminal prosecutions in the offing. Hedge fund managers need to learn to spot the difference between scouring every possible source for trading ideas, and out-and-out insider dealing, and they had better learn fast.
The question now is whether the hedge fund industry is hooked on insider trading, whether the Galleon case is a singular one starring some really rotten apples – or whether, as Mr Rajaratnam was insisting to his staff and investors yesterday, he has been unfairly accused.
It was only a matter of time until Mr Rajaratnam or someone like him ended up in the dock. It is difficult to imagine he will be the last.
