匯豐被控涉嫌參與南非洗錢丑聞

HSBC ignored internal warnings about large transfers of cash out of South Africa by the powerful Gupta business family, a British peer has alleged, demanding regulators investigate the bank for “possible criminal complicity” in money laundering.

一位英國勛爵指控稱，匯豐銀行(HSBC)無視了有關強大的古普塔(Gupta)商業(yè)家族從南非大規(guī)模轉(zhuǎn)出現(xiàn)金的內(nèi)部警告，他要求監(jiān)管機構調(diào)查匯豐銀行是否存在“可能的共謀犯罪”洗錢行為。

Peter Hain, the former Labour cabinet minister, told the House of Lords on Wednesday he had asked the UK Treasury to seek an investigation into an unnamed British bank over allegations of illicit transfers of funds on behalf of the Guptas, who are at the heart of a South African corruption scandal.

前工黨內(nèi)閣大臣韓培德(Peter Hain)周三告訴上議院，他已經(jīng)要求英國財政部對某家未披露名稱的英國銀行涉嫌為古普塔家族非法轉(zhuǎn)移資金展開調(diào)查，古普塔家族處在一起南非腐敗丑聞的核心。

Lord Hain separately sent a letter to the Treasury and the Financial Conduct Authority on Tuesday in which he cited evidence showing the transfers had been flagged as suspicious by HSBC’s internal systems.

韓培德勛爵周二分別致信財政部和金融行為監(jiān)管局(FCA)，他在信件中引用了一些表明這些資金轉(zhuǎn)移此前已被匯豐銀行內(nèi)部系統(tǒng)標記為可疑的證據(jù)。

“I am informed that they were told from the UK headquarters to ignore it,” he told the Lords on Wednesday.

“我得到消息稱，英國總部告訴他們無視這件事，”韓培德在周三告訴上議院。

The FCA said: “We have received the letter and will respond in due course,” and declined to comment further. FCA表示：

“我們已經(jīng)收到這封信，將在適當?shù)臅r候做出回復。”該局拒絕進一步置評。

The letter from Lord Hain, who grew up in South Africa and campaigned against apartheid, urged the watchdog to examine “a serious breach of FCA practice” at HSBC UK, according to one person who has seen it.

韓培德勛爵在南非長大，反對種族隔離。一名看過信的人士表示，他的這封信敦促FCA調(diào)查匯豐銀行英國“嚴重違反FCA條例的做法”。

Campaigners in South Africa have accused the Guptas of using ties to President Jacob Zuma to control government affairs, including the award of big state contracts. The family and Mr Zuma have always denied the allegations.

南非的活動人士指控古普塔家族利用與南非總統(tǒng)雅各布•祖馬(Jacob Zuma)的關系控制政府事務，包括授予大型政府合同。古普塔家族和祖馬一直否認這些指控。

Lord Hain had hinted at wrongdoing at HSBC in South Africa in an earlier letter to the UK Treasury. When asked about the issue earlier this week, Stuart Gulliver, HSBC chief executive, said the bank was co-operating with the government.

韓培德勛爵在早些時候給英國財政部的信件中曾暗示過匯豐銀行在南非的不當行為。匯豐首席執(zhí)行官歐智華(Stuart Gulliver)在本周早些時候被問及該問題時表示，匯豐正在配合政府調(diào)查。

“On the inquiries as a result of Lord Hain’s letter to the chancellor, obviously we are responding to those inquiries that have come in from the FCA and also from South African authorities, and there is nothing more I can really add at this point in time,” Mr Gulliver said.

“關于由韓培德勛爵給財政大臣的信件引發(fā)的質(zhì)詢，很明顯，我們對來自FCA和南非當局的質(zhì)詢都在作出回應，在這一點上，我目前沒有什么可以補充的了，”歐智華說。

An HSBC spokesperson declined to comment further on Wednesday.

周三匯豐銀行的一位發(fā)言人拒絕進一步做出置評。

Lord Hain said Philip Hammond, the UK chancellor, should “ensure that such evident money laundering and illegality is not tolerated and that the bank is investigated for a possible criminal complicity over this matter”.

韓培德勛爵稱，英國財政大臣菲利普•哈蒙德(Philip Hammond)應“確保這種明顯的洗錢和非法行為不被容忍，并針對可能存在的共謀犯罪對匯豐展開調(diào)查”。

A spokesman for the Treasury said it had passed Lord Hain’s latest letter to the FCA, the National Crime Agency and the Serious Fraud Office.

英國財政部一位發(fā)言人稱，他們已經(jīng)將韓培德勛爵最新的信件轉(zhuǎn)交FCA、英國國家打擊犯罪局(National Crime Agency)和英國嚴重欺詐辦公室(Serious Fraud Office)。

Lord Hain’s earlier letter had asked Mr Hammond to alert the UK financial enforcement agencies that HSBC and Standard Chartered might have handled illicit funds linked to the Guptas via Dubai and Hong Kong.

韓培德勛爵在早前的信件中要求哈蒙德提醒英國金融執(zhí)法機構，匯豐銀行與渣打銀行(Standard Chartered)可能通過迪拜和香港經(jīng)手過與古普塔家族有關的非法資金。

If the transfers were done in the past five years and involved US dollars, they could have a bearing on HSBC’s deferred prosecution agreement with US authorities. The agreement, which is due to expire next year, allowed the bank to escape criminal charges for money laundering and sanction breaches in 2012.

如果轉(zhuǎn)賬發(fā)生在過去五年，且涉及到美元，那這些轉(zhuǎn)賬可能牽涉到匯豐銀行與美國當局達成的延期起訴協(xié)議。這項將于明年到期的協(xié)議，在2012年使匯豐的洗錢和違反制裁行為逃過刑事訴訟。

The scandal around the Guptas has already drawn in other international firms. McKinsey and KPMG have apologised for their South African offices becoming too closely involved with the family, while SAP, the German software maker, has admitted that it made payments to a company tied to the family as it bid for business from South African state-owned companies. The FBI has also begun a probe into US links to the Guptas.

圍繞古普塔家族的丑聞已經(jīng)牽扯到其他跨國公司。麥肯錫(McKinsey)和畢馬威(KPMG)已就其駐南非辦事處與該家族過從甚密致歉，而德國軟件制造商SAP已承認，在競標南非國有企業(yè)的業(yè)務時，他們給一家與古普塔家族有關的企業(yè)付過錢。美國聯(lián)邦調(diào)查局(FBI)也已開始調(diào)查美國與古普塔家族的關聯(lián)。