Jon Swaine: Mitt Romney Fortune Built With Help from Robert Maxwell

Robert Maxwell and Jack Lyons, two of the most notorious figures in British corporate history, helped Mitt Romney build his $250 million fortune, it can be disclosed. Maxwell, the late owner of Mirror Newspapers, invested $2 million in Mr Romney's first private equity fund, which launched the controversial career in finance that the Republican presidential challenger now cites as proof of his ability to lead the US to prosperity. He was recruited by Lyons, a late colleague of Mr Romney's at Bain & Company and one of the "Guinness Four" who were convicted in 1990 over the infamous share trading fraud at the drinks firm. Lyons and his family invested almost $3 million in Mr Romney's fund. Both Lyons and Maxwell kept their money in tax havens. The discovery of their financial links to Mr Romney comes amid mounting pressure on the former Massachusetts governor to disclose details of his own offshore holdings, including a Swiss bank account. Amid an onslaught of attacks from Barack Obama, Mr Romney has repeatedly refused to release tax returns predating 2010. Mr Obama's campaign claims the documents may show that Mr Romney has repeatedly refused to release tax returns predating 2010. Mr Obama's campaign claims the documents may show that Mr Romney profited from the destruction of companies bought by his private equity firm, or paid even less than his current 15 per cent tax rate, thanks to his foreign accounts. The disclosure of the Lyons/Maxwell links also sheds light on one of the worst periods in the history of Bain, where Mr Romney was a senior management consultant. Its London office was ensnared in the Guinness scandal, after being paid millions of pounds in fees for advising the drinks company.