Friend of rogue trader freed in France

PARIS, March 13 (UPI) -- French police Thursday released Societe Generale employee Manuel Zabraniecki after only a few hours of questioning about a $7.2 billion loss in rogue trading.

French authorities were permitted to hold Zabraniecki, a friend of jailed trader Jerome Kerviel, for 48 hours, The New York Times reported.

Zabraniecki, who works in the equity branch of the bank, was one of 11 friends of Kerviel's listed on his personal profile on the Internet portal Facebook.

Kerviel is scheduled to appear in court on Friday to see if he will be released from jail.

Kerviel has been accused of computer abuse, fraud and breach of trust in relation to the rogue trading scandal that broke on Jan. 18. It is alleged he lost enormous sums in risky and unauthorized trading.