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A MULTI-billion dollar fraud that began more than 10 years ago and involving one of the longest legal battles in Hongkong history, ended yesterday for one of the leading figures behind it.

  For Lorrain Osman it all started in December 1979 when he first became involved with the Carrian group.

  This involvement led to 39 charges of fraud and corruption being filed against the former chairman of Bumiputra Malaysia Finance Limited (BMFL), when the Carrian empire collapsed in 1983.

 December 1979 - 1983: Osman, as chairman of BMFL, a major creditor of Carrian, loans almost US$300 million (HK$2.34 billion) to Plessey, a Carrian shelf company.July 1983: Malaysian accountant Jalil Ibrahim is murdered while investigating BMFL's loans to the Carrian group.

 October 1983: The Carrian group collapses leaving Osman, George Tan Soon-gin, former head of the Carrian group, and other BMFL and Carrian employees facing charges for defrauding BMFL's parent company, Bank Bumiputra Malaysia Berhad, and the Malaysian Government.

 1984: Osman flees Malaysia following a series of death threats linked to the Carrian case.

 December 6, 1985: Osman is arrested by police late one night at his home in London along with fellow BMFL banker Mohammed Hashim Shamsuddin.

 1986: Shamsuddin appears before a Hongkong court after giving up his extradition battle and returning voluntarily under escort by Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) officers. He admits to defrauding BMFL of $1.05 billion and accepting $15 million in bribes. He is jailed for 41/2 years.

 April 1987: Shamsuddin's sentence is increased to 10 years after he had appealed. The former BMFL director is still in jail. June 8, 1987: Stuart Leslie Turner, a former executive director of Barclays Asia Ltd, is arrested in London in connection with theCarrian case. June 9, 1987: Osman's lawyers file their client's first writ of habeas corpus. January 27, 1988: A London magistrate rules that Turner be extradited to Hongkong from Britain to face five charges, including three of accepting advantages.

 He appeals but finally returns to the territory voluntarily. He is tried, convicted and jailed. March 3, 1988: After 18 months in prison, Osman's first writ of habeas corpus is dismissed after a four-week hearing.

  May 1988: Osman petitions the House of Lords and files his second writ on the grounds of diplomatic immunity. 1988: The Carrian case collapses amid an outcry over the behaviour of Mr Justice Barker and an estimated cost of $300 million.

 December 12, 1988: Osman's second writ is dismissed by the Divisional Court.

 1989: Turner is released.November 1989: The controversial judge in the Carrian trial, Mr Justice Barker, dies when his car is crushed in a collision with a lorry in Cyprus. He was in retirement. November 17, 1989: Osman's third writ is dismissed.

 February 1990: Osman lodges his fourth habeas corpus writ.1990: Warwick Reid, the former head of the Legal Department's commercial crime unit, who headed the initial investigation into Osman, is sentenced to eight years' jail for having $12.4 million in assets which he could not explain.

 May 1991: The fifth habeas corpus writ is filed. August 1991: The sixth writ is filed.February 1992: The seventh writ is filedJune 1992: Osman's eighth appeal is heard in London.

 November 1992: He seeks his ninth writ of habeas corpus. December 1992: His 10th and final attempt to prevent extradition was placed before the British courts. December 16, 1992: His 10th writ, like the others, is turned down and he is extradited from Britain.

 December 17, 1992: He makes his first Hongkong court appearance straight after stepping off the plane. Bail is refused and he is remanded in custody in the Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre pending trial which, it is estimated, could take up to two years to reach the courts. The case is adjourned.December 31, 1992: Co-accused George Tan, on bail of $50 million and a $1 million surety, suffers a stroke.January 14, 1993: Osman makes his second appearance and the prosecution drops 23 of the 39 charges against the Malaysian lawyer.

 March 5: Osman is denied bail and denied a transfer from the Lai Chi Kok centre.May 3: He appears for the first time with Tan when their charges are consolidated.

 June 25: Osman pleads guilty to fraud charges in Hongkong's Court 25.

 June 26: He is sentenced to one year in jail.



The $100 million road from London to Hongkong's Court 25