People and Business: Bank raid

DEUTSCHE BANK is having a miserable time of it, what with cross- dressing fund managers at Morgan Grenfell Asset Management, a $750m exposure to Russia, claims related to World War Two and so on.

Now a former executive in Deutsche's Moscow office is suing the giant bank for pounds 23m.

Jochen Wermuth was head of capital markets in Moscow until the rouble devaluation crisis struck last year. Then Deutsche, like scores of other western banks and accountancy and law firms, took an axe to its Moscow headcount, which had been built up in the previous boom times.

Mr Wermuth was made redundant two months after Russia reneged on its western debts.

He was paid a basic of over pounds 200,000 a year, but he claims he could have earned bonuses of up to pounds 20m. Deutsche refused to comment.