汇丰银行因洗钱被罚款19亿

时间：2012-12-11 07:55:10

（单词翻译:单击）

HSBC has confirmed it is to pay US authorities $1.9bn in a settlement over money laundering².

汇丰银行已证实，将向美国当局支付19亿美元洗钱罚款。

The UK-based bank was alleged³ to have helped launder¹ money belonging to drug cartels and nations under US sanctions.

Earlier this year HSBC admitted having poor money laundering controls following a US Senate investigation⁴.

Last month it announced it had set aside $1.5bn to cover the costs of any settlement or fines.

"We accept responsibility for our past mistakes," said HSBC group chief executive Stuart Gulliver.

"We have said we are profoundly sorry for them, and we do so again."

The bank said it had spent $290m on improving its systems to prevent money laundering and clawed back some bonuses paid to senior executives in the past.

The news followed the announcement of a similar but much smaller settlement with UK-based Standard Chartered bank, which will pay $300m in fines for violating US sanctions.

The cases are seen as part of a crackdown on money laundering and sanctions violations⁵ being led by federal government agencies and New York state authorities.

Money laundering is the process of disguising the proceeds of crime so that the money cannot be linked to the wrongdoing.

Senate criticism

The settlement had been widely expected following a report by the US Senate, published earlier this year, that was heavily critical of HSBC's money laundering controls.

The report suggested HSBC accounts in Mexico and the US were being used by drug barons⁶（毒枭） to launder money.

It cited examples including the transfer of $7bn between HSBC's Mexican and US subsidiaries between 2007 and 2008, made despite Mexico's reputation as a centre for drug smuggling⁷.

It also said HSBC regularly circumvented⁸ restrictions⁹ on dealings with Iran, North Korea, and other states subject to US sanctions.

HSBC admitted its money laundering controls were not strong enough following the Senate report.

On Tuesday, the London-based multinational¹⁰ announced it had appointed a former US official to work as its head of financial crime compliance¹¹ - a new position.

Bob Werner was previously¹² the head of the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) - the agency responsible for enforcing the US sanctions on countries including Iran.

He will be responsible for beefing up HSBC's anti-money laundering and sanctions compliance systems.

It is unclear what impact the case will have on HSBC's business. The bank is the biggest in Europe by market capitalisation, and made pre-tax profits of $12.7bn for the first six months of 2012.

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1 launder
v.洗涤；洗黑钱（把来路可疑的钱弄得似乎合法）
参考例句：
She wore a freshly laundered and starched white shirt.她穿一件刚刚浆洗熨烫过的白色衬衣。 The gang launders the steal money through their chain of restaurants.这帮匪徒通过他们的连锁饭店洗赃款。

2 laundering
n.洗涤（衣等），洗烫（衣等）；洗（钱）v.洗（衣服等），洗烫（衣服等）( launder的现在分词 )；洗（黑钱）（把非法收入改头换面，变为貌似合法的收入）
参考例句：
Separate the white clothes from the dark clothes before laundering. 洗衣前应当把浅色衣服和深色衣服分开。来自《简明英汉词典》 He was charged with laundering money. 他被指控洗钱。来自《简明英汉词典》

3 alleged
a.被指控的，嫌疑的
参考例句：
It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。 alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

4 investigation
n.调查，调查研究
参考例句：
In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。 He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 violations
违反( violation的名词复数 )；冒犯；违反（行为、事例）；强奸
参考例句：
This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。 These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

6 barons
男爵( baron的名词复数 )；巨头；大王；大亨
参考例句：
The barons of Normandy had refused to countenance the enterprise officially. 诺曼底的贵族们拒绝正式赞助这桩买卖。 The barons took the oath which Stephen Langton prescribed. 男爵们照斯蒂芬？兰顿的指导宣了誓。

7 smuggling
n.走私
参考例句：
Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。 The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

8 circumvented
v.设法克服或避免（某事物），回避( circumvent的过去式和过去分词 )；绕过，绕行，绕道旅行
参考例句：
By such means the ban against dancing was circumvented. 这样，舞蹈就不至于被禁止。来自英汉非文学 - 民俗 It can therefore be circumvented by address manipulation and explicit type conversion. 因而可以通过地址操纵和显式型别转换来绕过此保护功能。来自互联网

9 restrictions
约束( restriction的名词复数 )；管制；制约因素；带限制性的条件（或规则）
参考例句：
I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。 a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

10 multinational
adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司
参考例句：
The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.这家公司被一个跨国咨询公司收购。 He analyzed the relationship between multinational corporations and under-developed countries.他分析了跨国公司和不发达国家之间的关系。

11 compliance
n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从
参考例句：
I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。 She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

12 previously
adv.以前，先前（地）
参考例句：
The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。 Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。