Madoff scandal: Fund manager commits suicide

Washington, Dec 24: Founder of an investment fund that lost 1.5 billion USD after investing with Bernard Madoff, committed suicide on Tuesday, Dec 23 at his Madison Avenue office. Madoff scandal has left investors around the world in financial ruin.

"Rene-Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet was found sitting at his desk at about 0700 local time (1200 GMT) with both wrists slashed," Commissioner Ray Kelly, of the New York Police Department, said.

"A box cutter was found on the floor along with a bottle of sleeping pills on his desk. No suicide note was found," Kelly said.

Investment funds that lost big to Madoff are also facing backlash and investor lawsuits for not protecting their clients from the alleged fraud.

It was not immediately known what kind of scrutiny de la Villehuchet was facing over his Madoff losses through his Access International Advisors, located a couple of blocks from Rockefeller Center.

But on Monday night, he told cleaning crews in his building that he wanted them out of his office by 1900 (0000 GMT) because he was going to be working late.

Workers returned on Tuesday morning and found the door locked. He was later discovered dead at his desk, with a garbage can placed near his body to apparently catch the blood, another police spokesman said.

OneIndia News (With inputs from Agencies)