A MAN believed to be a key witness in the high-profile NatWest Three case has been found dead in Chingford.

The man, believed to be Neil Coulbeck, a Royal Bank of Scotland employee, was discovered in parkland near Newgate Street by a member of the public on the afternoon of July 11.

He was believed to be a pivotal character in the case and had reportedly been interviewed by the FBI.

Officers from the Homicide and Serious Crime Command are investigating.

The man is thought to be from Woodford Green where he was reported missing from his home on July 6.

A police spokesman said: "We can confirm that officers from the Missing Persons Unit were contacted regarding a man missing from his home address in Woodford Green. It is not yet established if he is connected to this report.

"We believe they know the identity of the man but detailed inquiries are ongoing to confirm this."

He had been interviewed by the FBI concerning the Enron case, according to Sky News.

The police spokesman said: "Regarding any link to the Enron investigation, investigating officers are keeping an open mind."

As the Guardian went to press, police cordons were in place across the entrance to the woods at Newgate Street and Chingford Lane, sealing off a large area of parkland.

Local Safer Neighbourhoods officers on duty at the barriers said a forensics team was investigating the area surrounding where the body was found.

They said they had not been briefed and that information was being given out on a "need-to-know basis".

The NatWest Three, David Bermingham, Gary Mulgrew and Giles Darby, were due to be extradited on July 13 to appear before US courts in connection with the Enron scandal.

They were accused of conspiring to defraud their employers and investors in the collapsed and discreditied US oil and gas giant.

It is alleged that the three bankers, who worked for a subsidiary of NatWest, advised Enron to sell off a subsidiary at well below its market value, then bought a stake in the firm.

It was sold on later for a much higher price.

The three have all protested their innocence and argue that as British citizens working in the UK for a British company, they should be tried here.

But their extradition to stand trial in the US has caused controversy in Britain, as the treaty it is being executed under has not yet been formally ratified by the US Government, although it has been by the British Government.

A Commons debate on July 12 was due to discuss the extradition, which was authorised by former Home Secretary Charles Clarke in May last year.