Traders, Guns and Money, 3rd Edition

Prologue

I was shown into the conference room. It was old-fashioned – dark wood panelling, lined with slightly dusty old law reports. Lawyers, especially in England, proudly resist modernity. Modernity in the world of investment banks and dealers means trendy architecture by the latest wunderkind. It manifests itself in acres of glass, steel, marble and uncomfortable chairs. Lucre & Lucre was untouched by these fads. The thickly padded leather chairs were comfortable. It was, I feared, going to be a long meeting.

The clients were already there. There were two of them – Indonesians of Chinese extraction. They were part of the infamous ‘bamboo’ network of ethnic Chinese business interests that criss-crossed South East Asia. I was introduced. ...