Rajaratnam trial starts, judge questions jury pool

The criminal trial of Galleon hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam, the central figure in the biggest US insider trading case in a generation, began on Tuesday with the judge questioning potential jurors about whether they could be impartial and fair.
About 150 potential jurors were told by Manhattan federal Judge Richard Holwell that Goldman Sachs Group Inc CEO Lloyd Blankfein was on a list of people who might testify or be mentioned during the trial expected to last up to two months. The list includes the names of more than 100 individuals and dozens of companies. Onetime billionaire Rajaratnam, 53, is in a courtroom showdown with prosecutors that will feature wiretap evidence and the testimony of former friends and associates.