{"text":[[{"start":9.35,"text":"One of Hong Kong’s best-known hedge fund managers profited from inside information to the tune of HK$1.7mn on a single deal, a court heard on Monday in the first day of a trial."}],[{"start":22.45,"text":"British financier Simon Sadler appeared in the dock in Hong Kong’s District Court on Monday alongside former trader Daniel La Rocca. They, and Sadler’s hedge fund Segantii Capital Management, face criminal charges by Hong Kong prosecutors over alleged insider trading of clothing retailer Esprit’s stock dating back to 2017."}],[{"start":44.099999999999994,"text":"Sadler and La Rocca, who worked at Segantii, are accused of acting on inside information when dealing in shares of Esprit ahead of an imminent so-called “block trade”. A block trade is an off-market purchase or sale of a large amount of shares in a single transaction."}],[{"start":59.849999999999994,"text":"Sadler, La Rocca and the hedge fund itself all pleaded not guilty. If convicted, Sadler and La Rocca could face a maximum prison sentence of seven years, the FT previously reported. "}],[{"start":72.85,"text":"Sadler, who is from Blackpool in north-west England, founded Segantii in Hong Kong in 2007 and grew it into one of the best-known hedge funds in the region. As the hedge fund grew, Sadler bought Blackpool Football Club in 2019. The hedge fund shut operations after the Hong Kong criminal charges were announced in 2024. "}],[{"start":93.3,"text":"The Hong Kong prosecution cited an expert witness who calculated that Segantii profited by HK$1.6-1.7mn (roughly US$200,000) by shorting Esprit stock after learning of an upcoming block trade. Block trades can push down the share price. "}],[{"start":112.44999999999999,"text":"The prosecution played audio files for the court of La Rocca receiving a call from a Bank of America trader to gauge the Segantii trader’s interest in buying into an upcoming sale of a large number of Esprit shares. The seller was not named but the court was told that Segantii was able to quickly work out that it was American hedge fund, Lone Pine Capital."}],[{"start":132.89999999999998,"text":"Following those conversations with the Bank of America trader, Segantii made trades in Esprit stock that would allow it to benefit from a fall in its share price once news of the block trade became public, the prosecution said. "}],[{"start":144.95,"text":"The prosecution told the court that Sadler and La Rocca were “highly experienced in block trades” and “knew full well” the significance of the information they had been given."}],[{"start":155.95,"text":"The Bank of America trader, Tony Psarianos, will appear in person in court to give evidence on May 11 and 12, the court was told on Monday."}],[{"start":166.14999999999998,"text":"The prosecution’s lawyer acknowledged the sums mentioned were not large for a hedge fund like Segantii but said the case concerned the principle of “taking unfair advantage of inside information”. "}],[{"start":178.24999999999997,"text":"She said everybody who invested or had a pension would be adversely affected by unfairness in the market."}],[{"start":184.89999999999998,"text":"Much of the prosecution’s time on the first day of the trial was spent making arguments over the definition of inside information. The trial is expected to last until June 8."}],[{"start":202.25,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1777942381_1307.mp3"}