St John's, Antigua (AP):

United States marshals in the Virgin Islands were yesterday unable to account for the whereabouts of embattled Texan financier Allen Stanford, who has been accused of perpetrating a US$8 billion fraud against his companies' investors.

James Sullivan, the US marshal for the Virgin Islands, said agents were monitoring Stanford's "exten-sive holdings" in St Croix, including a boat he sometimes docks there, but he could not say whether he was currently in the territory.

"As of right now, all we are doing is an ongoing investigation to monitor his holdings, for lack of a better term, and we are not actively pursuing him," Sullivan told The Associated Press.

Panicky depositors were turned away from Stanford International Bank and some of its Latin American affiliates yesterday, unable to withdraw their money now as Stanford's companies' assets have been frozen.