Tory hedge fund donor fined $80m in the US

Pentagon Capital Management, headed by Lewis Chester, a contemporary of the prime minister at Oxford, was found to have engaged in late trading in mutual funds.

Investors in the fund, which has been winding down its assets since 2008, have included media tycoon Richard Desmond, former Labour treasurer Lord Levy, and property magnate Gerald Ronson.

The ruling, handed down by Judge Robert Sweet in Manhattan, will fuel scrutiny of the Conservatives' ties to big business and City financiers.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued charges against Pentagon in April 2008 after former New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer launched a crackdown on trading in mutual fund shares.

Handing down his opinion, Judge Sweet ruled that Pentagon had "intentionally and egregiously" violated federal securities laws by engaging in late trading – or trading in mutual funds after the market close. "This scheme was broad ranging over the course of several years and in no sense isolated," he said. However, the judge found in favour of Pentagon on a second charge of market timing abuse.

Frank Razzano, a lawyer working on behalf of Pentagon, said: "We are grateful for Judge Sweet's finding that no illegal market timing took place. We are disappointed by his late trading conclusion. We shall be appealing."

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Hedge fund chief David Harding earns £54m from predicting swings in commodity prices

David Harding's Winton Capital uses complex algorithms to bet on movements in the price of bonds, shares and commodities. Photo: CORBIS

The founder of hedge fund Winton Capital Management received a £54m dividend last year, according to accounts just filed at Companies House.

As the ultimate controlling party of Winton Capital, Mr Harding is also likely to be its "highest-paid director", who received £4m in pay last year, according to the accounts.

Many hedge fund owners have seen their fortunes continue to soar despite the economic downturn.

Louis Bacon, the London-based American who runs Moore Capital, saw his fortune nearly double to £1.1bn last year, according to a list compiled earlier this year. Moore Capital's global investor fund was up 18pc last year.

The latest accounts for Winton Capital, filed late last week, show that it paid out a dividend of £96.2m over the year to December 31, 2009.

Of this, £61.1m was paid to executive directors on their ordinary shareholdings in the company. Mr Harding's shareholding values his share of the pay-out at around £54m.

Over 2009, Winton Capital had a turnover of £102m, down from £395m in 2008. It made a pre-tax profit of £60.3m, compared to £288m the year before.

Although Mr Harding's recent bumper pay-out dwarfs most pay packages in the City, he actually took a cut in pay and dividends compared to 2008 due to the relatively weaker performance. Then, Mr Harding, 47, received £101m in dividends and £17m in salary.

Mr Harding used to own AHL, a commodities trading firm that was bought by Man Group. He left and in 1997 founded Winton.

The Kensington-based company uses complex algorithms to bet on movements in the price of bonds, shares and commodities.

It is thought to employ more than 50 researchers with PhDs in esoteric subjects such as extragalactic astrophysics. His staff are said to study historic data in minute detail to develop complex computer programs capable of predicting future trends.

Mr Harding himself studied theoretical physics before going into finance. He loves punk music and his hobbies include walking and economic history.

Last year, he was quoted as saying: "It is nice to have a golden life and a purpose to engage in, a reason to go to work. I wouldn't have set out to be a futures trader if I hadn't wanted to make a lot of money."

The accounts show that Winton Capital Management paid corporation tax of £16.8m in 2009, down from £86.2m the previous year when profits were higher.

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