US District Judge Amy St. Eve in Chicago has asked for more information about how beleaguered press Baron Conrad Black is paying his bills, according to the latest reports.

Beleaguered? Okay, he's not exactly on Struggle Street. Outgoings are $200,000 a month, and a $9000 gardening bill. Must be some garden!

The man's generous too. He's giving more than $440,000 to the Canadian Opera Company, according to another report.

And that's without him having any income.

US prosecutors are trying to establish why the value of Black's assets have suddenly increased in the last few months. Since November, for example, his stake in Horizon Holdings has gone up from $1.5 million to $10.5 million. Just how this has happened without him increasing the size of the stake remains a mystery. Well, to some.

"My point here is not to micromanage Mr. Black's finances. My point is to find out if there have been misrepresentations to this court," the judge said. "Where is the money coming from. You know where I'm going. Is there something else out there?"

Black's lawyers have been given until July 21 to explain the discrepancies.

With Enron now out of the way, Black of course is the next big fish on the list of US prosecutions for corporate malfeasance. Black and several former executives of Hollinger International face criminal charges over allegations they took $84-million from the Chicago-based company. He and the others have pleaded not guilty.

Scheduled next March, it's definitely shaping up as the trial of 2007.