The rogue trader accused of causing a 4.9 billion euros ($7.18 billion) loss to Societe Generale through fraudulent trades was quiet, hardworking and generally unremarkable, people who knew him said on Friday.
The head of France's central bank has called him a "master of fraud" and "a computer genius," but a more mundane picture emerges from those who knew him before the scandal broke.
"He was just an average kind of person. When I arrived in the morning, he was there, and when I left in the evening, he was still there," said one colleague who worked in the same section of the bank as him, which dealt with equity derivatives.
The person declined to be named, saying Societe Generale, France's second-largest listed bank, had banned staff from talking to the media.
Dubbed "the man who blew up the bank" by the daily Le Parisien, a photo of 31 year-old Jerome Kerviel's unsmiling face was splashed across the world's media on Friday, a day after his name was linked with the largest fraud in banking history.
Societe Generale has still not named the dealer, but Kerviel's name surfaced within hours of the announcement on Thursday and was confirmed by banking sources.
The head of France's central bank has called him a "master of fraud" and "a computer genius," but a more mundane picture emerges from those who knew him before the scandal broke.
"He was just an average kind of person. When I arrived in the morning, he was there, and when I left in the evening, he was still there," said one colleague who worked in the same section of the bank as him, which dealt with equity derivatives.
The person declined to be named, saying Societe Generale, France's second-largest listed bank, had banned staff from talking to the media.
Dubbed "the man who blew up the bank" by the daily Le Parisien, a photo of 31 year-old Jerome Kerviel's unsmiling face was splashed across the world's media on Friday, a day after his name was linked with the largest fraud in banking history.
Societe Generale has still not named the dealer, but Kerviel's name surfaced within hours of the announcement on Thursday and was confirmed by banking sources.
Story contributed by Reuters: Read More
