Black jurors take weekend break

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Jury deliberation in the US fraud trial of former media baron Conrad Black has ended for the weekend.

Jurors in Chicago will reconvene on Monday morning - for what will be their eighth day of deliberations.

They must decide whether Lord Black is guilty of stealing $60m (£30m) from the newspaper group Hollinger International when he was in charge.

He has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. If convicted he could face a lengthy jail term and heavy fines.

Lord Black is facing nine counts of fraud, one of obstruction of justice and one of racketeering.

The trial, which lasted almost 15 weeks, has centred on whether Lord Black together with his co-defendants, all former Hollinger International executives, pocketed funds that rightfully belonged to the company's shareholders.

Prosecutors argued that this money came from the sale of hundreds of community newspapers in the US and Canada between 1998 and 2001, and should have been paid to the company as compensation for not competing with the assets it has sold.

THE CHARGES Criminal charges 15 charges of fraudone of obstruction of justiceone of racketeering Federal prosecutors allege Lord Black Fraudulently received non-compete fees from the sale of Hollinger International assetsDeprived the company of his honest servicesRepeatedly benefited himself at the expense of the company and its public shareholders through the abuse of company perks Other executives on trial John Boultbee - former chief financial officerPeter Atkinson - former general counselMark Kipnis - former corporate counsel and secretary

Instead, they said, the so-called "non-compensation" payments were taken as improper tax-free bonuses to boost the salaries of the firm's executives.

Lord Black is accused of using these company funds to bankroll an extravagant lifestyle.

No evidence

Defence lawyers have rejected these allegations, tearing into the prosecution's case, which they say has not been backed up by evidence and instead rests on the testimony of Lord Black's closest aide David Radler, who has admitted lying under oath.

Mr Radler pleaded guilty to his involvement in the scheme for a lenient jail term of 29 months in a deal that was struck with the prosecution in 2005.

Lord Black is one of Britain's best-known businessmen, who through Hollinger International once controlled Britain's Daily Telegraph and the Jerusalem Post.

After running the newspaper business for eight years, the British peer was forced to stand down as chief executive in 2003 and the company has since been renamed Sun-times Media.

Once the criminal case is concluded, Lord Black could be back in court as he is involved in a series of civil lawsuits, including being sued by Hollinger International for millions of pounds in damages.

He has also suggested that if he is acquitted, he will file lawsuits of his own against those who brought the case against him.