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Lawyers say have traced $7.7 bln Parmalat funds
Reuters, 01.08.04, 7:59 AM ET

ROME, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Lawyers representing a group of Parmalat PRFI.MI creditors said on Thursday they had traced about $7.7 billion of the food group's funds but they had no documented proof.

A legal filing, obtained by Reuters, said the lawyers representing the Parmalat Creditors Committee had "succeeded in following the 'electronic' trail of about $7.7 billion (which was) well invested and guaranteed".

The three lawyers -- Carlo Zauli, Giuseppe Lozupone and Anna Campilii -- said in the five-page filing to be presented to the bankruptcy court in the northern city of Parma they had traced the funds using a group of investigators and "press talk".

But Zauli told Reuters by telephone that it would be an "illusion" to believe one could find documented proof of electronic transfers of the funds.

Parmalat was declared insolvent last month after revealing a hole in its accounts which prosecutors investigating for fraud believe could exceed 10 billion euros.

http://www.forbes.com/home/newswire/2004/01/08/rtr1202741.html