Black launches fraud conviction appeal

Media tycoon Conrad Black asked a federal appeals court in the US today to throw out his conviction for fraud.

His lawyer, Miguel Estrada, argued during a hearing in Chicago that jurors who found Black guilty gave too much weight to a law which has since been deemed largely unconstitutional.

The US Supreme Court curtailed so-called “honest services” laws in June, so Mr Estrada said judges should quash Black’s conviction for defrauding Hollinger International investors.

The prosecution argued that what underpinned Black’s 2007 conviction was not so much the disputed law as the simple notion that Black stole money.

Black is on bail while his appeal is considered. He was not in court today.