By Ben Berkowitz
Feb 21 (Reuters) - A Goldman Sachs private wealth
client is the holder of the Swiss account at the center of an
investigation into insider trading in H.J. Heinz Co
options, regulators said in a court filing late Wednesday.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit
against unknown traders last week, alleging they used a Goldman
account in Zurich to buy an unusual amount of Heinz options the
day before the ketchup maker agreed to sell itself for $23
billion.
In an SEC application to freeze the defendants' assets,
dated Feb. 15 but filed with the court Wednesday, staff attorney
David Brown said the commission had been told by Goldman that
"the account holder is a Goldman Sachs Private Wealth client in
Switzerland."
In another application also dated Feb. 15 and filed
Wednesday, Brown's colleague Megan Bergstrom said Goldman had
informed the SEC "it does not have direct access to information
about the beneficial owner or owners behind any particular
transaction or position" in the account.
A Goldman Sachs spokesman declined comment on the latest
filings. The firm has said it was cooperating fully with the SEC
investigation.
In addition to the SEC probe, the FBI said this week it is
also looking into the case.
Heinz agreed Feb. 14 to sell itself to Warren Buffett's
conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway and the Brazilian
private equity firm 3G Capital for $72.50 per share in cash, a
19 percent premium to where the stock closed the prior day.
According to the SEC, the unknown defendants generated a
profit of nearly $1.8 million by buying contracts betting the
stock would surge.
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