As we reported last week, the backslapping annual gala awards dinner hosted by International Financing Review has also become one of the year's main charity events.
However, it has emerged that there were takers as well as givers at the party this year. The villain, or villains, committed the unthinkable by pilfering some of the trophies that were awarded to banks for achievements in the capital markets. The trophies - which look like a cross between a Jules Verne football World Cup and an Oscar - are rather hefty, so it is cumbersome for a banker to carry them around while attending to the evening's really important business: shaking hands and drinking. Therefore, many (trophies that is, not bankers) were stashed under tables after dinner when the guests headed for the bar. The thieves were rather picky, however. One victim said: 'The strange thing is, we won two awards and only the more important one was stolen.' The case continuesâ¦
