Black codefendant seeks to delay jail

CHICAGO -- Peter Atkinson, the former Hollinger International Inc. vice president convicted of fraud with ex-company Chairman Conrad Black, is seeking to remain free on bail pending his appeal. "Substantial" questions about whether prosecutors proved his guilt should be resolved by an appeals court before he starts his two-year prison sentence, his lawyers wrote in court papers. A jury in July convicted Atkinson, 60, Black, 63, and two other former company executives of stealing $6.1 million from the company through two separate sham business transactions. Black received a 6½-year sentence while John Boultbee, 64, the company's ex-chief financial officer, got a 2¼-year term. They are to report to prison March 3. Black's lawyers have said they will also seek continued bail pending that appeal.