UK weighing claims criminals used HSBC accounts to launder money

“We can confirm we have received the data and are studying it. We receive information from a very wide range of sources which we use to ensure the tax rules are being respected,” the HMRC said.

In a report published Friday, the Daily Telegraph newspaper alleged that a list of the bank’s disclosed by a whistleblower had identified 4,388 people holding 699 million pounds ($438 million) in offshore current accounts, including criminals. Banks have an obligation to notify authorities about suspicions over the source of cash deposited in their accounts.

HSBC said it was committed to “the highest global standards, including the procedures for the acceptance of clients” and confirmed that it had opened its own inquiry into the alleged data breach. “We are investigating the reports of an alleged loss of certain client data in Jersey as a matter of urgency,” the bank said in a statement. However, it said it had so far not been contacted by the HMRC about any investigation into its work. “Should we receive notification, we will cooperate fully with the authorities,” the bank said.

Jersey, a British dependency off the coast of France which

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