CHICAGO, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- The FBI and the U.S. attorney in Chicago reportedly have opened a criminal investigation of Conrad Black, the chairman of Hollinger International.
However, neither office would comment on published reports that the inquiry would center on payments Black received while CEO of Hollinger, the Chicago Sun-Times said Friday.
There also was no comment from Black, who already faces an inquiry by the Securities and Exchange Commission. He is scheduled to meet with SEC officials next week.
Last month, Black resigned as CEO. David Radler, the president and chief operating officer of Hollinger International and, at the time, publisher of the Sun-Times, also resigned after the company revealed they accepted unauthorized payments of $32 million.
A special committee of the board of directors is compiling a detailed report on Hollinger finances, and the company has hired the Lazard investment bank in anticipation of a possible sale of its newspapers, which include the Chicago Sun-Times, the Daily Telegraph in London and the Jerusalem Post.
