Berkshire's Ajit Jain to give video testimony in Gupta trial

New York, Jun 8: Berkshire Hathaway's India-born head of reinsurance business Ajit Jain, seen as a possible successor to billionaire investor

, will testify through a video deposition for his "close friend", former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta in his insider trading trial.

As the prosecution wraps up its case against Gupta, his defence team expects to begin its case today by showing a recorded deposition of Jain, a spokeswoman for the federal court in Manhattan said. Jain, a former McKinsey employee, is among a list of 20 witnesses who will testify for Gupta in his trial. Jain is likely to testify as a character witness for the ex-McKinsey head.

The India-born top executive at Berkshire has previously been interviewed by Gupta's defence team and has also met the prosecutors. The prosecution is expected to wrap up its case today after the defence finishes cross examining the star government witness Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein.

The trial of Gupta, who is charged with passing secret information about Goldman and Proctor and Gamble to convicted hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam, is in its third week. Judge Jed Rakoff, who is presiding over the case, has not been happy about the slow pace of the trial, which began on May 21. Rakoff has described proceedings in court as "excruciating", particularly when the prosecution presented extensive phone records, emails and company information to the jury.

PTI