Monica Grand's death has major implications for a huge banking takeover. She was the PCBC's economic advisor on their acquisition of Fivebridge & Remton. Could she have been killed to prevent it?
By ALWHIN COPI
The PCBC admitted today that it is having difficulty defending the broad economic impact of its acquisition of the Fivebridge & Remton Consolidated Bank after the death of Monica Grand, an advisor to the bank who penned a significant portion of the bank's impact report. The Office of the Council opened up an inquiry into the merger on the grounds that the report did not adequately address the effect it would have on citizens living outside the central Perplex City area.
"We regret that we are taking so much time to defend the case, but we still very much believe the purchase will be the best thing for the PCBC and for the city," said PCBC spokesman Cory Clary.
City finance deputy Hova Lonehart said that the bank's disarray after the tragic murder of a single consulting economist proves that the bank's research was shoddy and incomplete. "I think it's clear they were cooking the books to make sure the deal would go through," she said. "If anything like sufficient care had been taken in assembling this report, the data would be there to draw on now."
Clary denied the allegations. "Ms. Grand was a highly valued advisor to the bank, and she was truly at the center of this deal," Clary said. "The Office of the Council needs to provide more time for another economist to become as familiar with the specifics of this transaction. ... It's a complicated deal with far-reaching effects, and Ms. Grand had been studying it for over a year. It's ridiculous to suggest that someone else could fill her shoes in a few weeks."
Grand was found murdered in her Ascendancy Point home in mid-September of this year, shortly after the Office of the Council opened its investigation into the banking deal. According to the police, no suspects have been identified, and no charges have been filed.
