To: SiouxPal who wrote (47 ) 3/29/2008 6:34:03 PM From: anniebonny Respond to of 162 Lehman files lawsuit over alleged fraud: reports By MarketWatch Last update: 3:11 p.m. EDT March 29, 2008Print E-mail RSS Disable Live Quotes SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. plans to sue Marubeni Corp. to recover funds it said were misappropriated from it in a loan fraud, a claim denied by the Japanese trading house, news reports said Saturday. Lehman last year granted loans to a fund run by a medical consulting firm owned by LTT Bio-Pharma Co. in Tokyo, according to The Wall Street Journal. The funds were to be used for the purchase of medical equipment and were secured with certificates from Marubeni, the Journal reported, citing a person familiar with the matter. The Journal reported the loans were worth as much as $250 million, while Japanese media accounts estimated that as much as $403 million in loans were issued by Lehman. The funds weren't repaid at the end of February, prompting concern at Lehman. The unit of LTT Bio-Pharma filed for bankruptcy protection on March 19. Lehman said that it has investigated the situation and filed a criminal complaint with Japanese police. It has also started legal action against Marubeni, according to a Bloomberg news agency report. Marubeni said it is a victim of identify fraud and that the documents involved in the transaction were forged. The Journal said two employees at Marubeni, who may have been involved in the alleged fraud, have been fired. Both companies are cooperating with Japanese authorities, the Journal reported. Lehman Bros. (LEH:Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc News, chart, profile, more Last: 37.87-0.84-2.17% 4:00pm 03/28/2008