The Cayman banker Mr John Furze gave "erroneous" information to lawyers acting for the US authorities seeking to prosecute Mr Andreas Pruna for drugs offences, the tribunal heard. Mr Pruna is a brother of a Florida drug-smuggler, Fernando Pruna.
In a letter to the lawyers dated December 12th, 1989, Mr Furze said a property owned by Mr Pruna had been transferred to Mars Nominees Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Guinness & Mahon, "unbeknown" to him.
In fact, according to documents shown to the tribunal, Mr Furze was the person who suggested and arranged for the property to be transferred. The property was used as security for a purported $70,000 loan advanced by the banker.
In the same letter to the lawyers, Mr Furze asked whether any action could be taken to distance Mars from Mr Pruna, as Guinness & Mahon had become concerned Mars had been "tainted" by its association with the family.
The lawyers wrote back in January 1990 to inform Mr Furze that Mars had been listed on a Drug Enforcement Administration computer, and they advised that if Mars had further transactions in the US "it was possible these transactions would be considered suspect".
