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Zubin Mehta's personal life receives many jolts

Arthur J Pais in New York

For Zubin Mehta it was a black Monday. Apart from a Santa Monica jury acquitting Susan McDougal of embezzling over $ 50,000 from Mehta and his wife, the case filed over six years ago re-ignited the problems in the conductor's life.

McDougal, a friend and former business partner of Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary, for instance, had argued through her lawyers that Nancy Mehta had encouraged her to use the Mehtas' credit cards so that Zubin's out-of-wedlock children would not get his money. She had also said the money she withdrew was commission for the work she did for the Mehtas, in particular Nancy. She was a book-keeper to the Mehtas in their real estate business from 1989 to 1992; she was also a personal assistant to Nancy Mehta.

McDougal's lawyer had also argued that Nancy Mehta, who was described as a lonely and somewhat dejected woman, became emotionally dependent on Susan McDougal and got furious when she realised that McDougal was looking for another job.

The initial charge was that she had misused $150,000, but the Santa Monica judge ruled last week that she could be held liable -- if at all -- for misappropriating $ 50,000.

Susan McDougal, who turned 44 recently, could have gone to jail for four years; if she had been found guilty on the original charge of embezzling $ 150,000 she could have got a stiffer sentence.

McDougal had said many times that the case against her was trumped up to pressure her to testify against President Clinton.

She had started working for the Mehtas soon after the Whitewater business collapsed in Arkansas, and she decided to give up her marriage with James McDougal.

The case was delayed for many years because she was asked to reveal her business deals with the Clintons by independent prosecutor Kenneth Starr but she refused to deal with his commission, claiming that he was determined to get her, the first lady and the President. She was imprisoned for over 18 months on a contempt of the commission charges and was released a few months ago due to deteriorating health.

''Everything that's happened to me in recent years has been about Bill Clinton,'' McDougal declared soon after the jury acquitted her on all nine counts, including forgery and failure to pay state income taxes. The jury deliberated for about four days.

''They want me to say things against Bill and Hillary Clinton... People say to me, 'Are you scared of Ken Starr?' He'd better be scared of me because I'm on my way back.''

The case took five years to get to trial. By that time, McDougal had become famous, hailed by many as a hero for her steadfast refusal to testify against her friend Clinton before the Whitewater grand jury. It was a decision that cost her 18 months in jail for contempt.

The California case played out as a scandal in Washington, even though the judge warned the jurors were to ignore her Whitewater involvement or any perceived hidden motives on the prosecution's part.

Defence attorney Mark Geragos said Starr had promised to make the embezzlement charges go away if McDougal testified, news reports in Santa Monica said. When she refused, he alleged, Starr ''propped up'' the case and urged prosecutors to move on the defendant.

''Of course it's related to Whitewater,'' Geragos said after the verdict. ''You think if her name was Susan McDonald they would try this case?''

Starr's office, on the other hand, stated that the California charges were brought before the appointment of any Whitewater independent counsel and were hence unrelated.

Nancy Mehta had earlier rejected the claims that a sisterly relationship existed between her and Susan McDougal, adding that she never gave her assistant permission to sign cheques or credit card receipts. She portrayed their relationship as strictly business.

Asked if she knew McDougal was signing receipts on a joint credit card in both their names, she replied, ''No, never,'' adding that she didn't even know the card existed. She said she became suspicious when a bank manager called her to point out large withdrawals.

Documents produced by the defence appeared to contradict that, with her own signature showing up on the same card for some $ 30,000 worth of goods, according to Associated Press.

McDougal presented a picture of Nancy Mehta as a lonely woman whose husband travelled abroad most of the year and left her to manage their finances.

In a dramatic but unwilling appearance, Zubin Mehta flew to Los Angeles from Munich last week, interrupting a concert schedule, to testify that his wife was not a compulsive shopper.

But he admitted whatever he knew of the family finances was told to him by his wife. Nancy Mehta had earlier admitted under the defence cross-examination that she was not an astute business person.

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