Mr Kempin also exerted pressure on IBM over the CD-Rom Encyclopaedia IBM World Book, which competed with Microsoft's Encarta.

BBC: IBM chief: Microsoft killed OS/2

After becoming prime minister again in 1997 with a comfortable majority, Mr Sharif appeared to dominate the political landscape and exerted a powerful hold over all the country's major institutions - apart from the army.

BBC: Profile: Nawaz Sharif

The SEC released details of e-mails showing just how much influence Mr Quattrone, a banker, exerted over the supposedly independent research analysts.

ECONOMIST: Day of reckoning | The