评论
打印
The integrity of a Bank of England inquiry is in question as prosecutors in the US probe what the central bank knew about traders’ behaviour in the foreign-exchange market.
对于英国央行(Bank of England)对交易员外汇市场行为的知情程度，美国检察官正在开展调查，此举令英国央行此前一项调查的信誉面临质疑。
The Department of Justice has secretly requested an interview with a senior Royal Bank of Scotland forex trader previously questioned as part of the BoE’s own investigation into whether any of its officials knew of or connived in manipulation of forex, one of the world’s biggest financial markets. US prosecutors are concerned over the thoroughness of the BoE’s report and the way its inquiry was handled, according to people familiar with the situation.
美国司法部(DoJ)已秘密要求问询一名苏格兰皇家银行(RBS)资深外汇交易员。该交易员此前曾在英国央行的调查中接受质询，以调查是否有英国央行的官员知晓或纵容对外汇交易的操纵。根据知情人士的说法，美国检察官对英国央行调查报告的全面性及该行的调查方式存在疑虑。
The DoJ request — made without informing the UK authorities — comes at a sensitive time for the bank. It is trying to recast its image as a more transparent and accountable institution, even as it has been drawn into an unprecedented criminal investigation by the UK Serious Fraud Office. The SFO is separately looking at the extent of any BoE officials’ involvement in the alleged manipulation of money-market auctions at the onset of the financial crisis.
美国司法部的问询要求并未知会英国当局，对于英国央行来说，这一要求正处于十分敏感的时期。尽管此前曾卷入英国严重欺诈办公室(Serious Fraud Office，简称SFO)一场史无前例的刑事调查，英国央行目前仍在试图将自身形象重塑为透明度更高、更负责任的机构。目前，SFO正在另一起案件中，调查英国央行是否有官员曾在金融危机期间，参与操纵货币市场拍卖业务的活动。
The BoE’s earlier £3m forex inquiry, led by Lord Grabiner QC, a veteran City litigator, cleared bank officials of any wrongdoing but said an official — who has since been dismissed for unrelated matters — should have escalated concerns to superiors.
英国央行此前有关300万英镑外汇交易的问询，由资深伦敦金融城律师格拉比内勋爵(Lord Grabiner QC)领导。那次问询排除了央行官员存在任何不良行为的可能性。不过，该报告表示一名官员本应将问题提交给上级，自那以来这位官员已因与此无关的事情被解职。
Questions have already been raised about the thoroughness of the forex report, with the parliamentary Treasury select committee this year raising concerns over whether the terms of the inquiry had been drawn too narrowly.
对于该行这份外汇交易调查报告，之前已有人质疑其全面性。今年，英国议会财政部特别委员会(Treasury Select Committee)曾质疑问询条款的涵盖范围是否太过狭窄。
At the time Mark Carney, BoE governor, told the committee that the original Grabiner report was “thorough and comprehensive” and that the barrister had “free rein to investigate absolutely anything he needed to”. The bank declined to comment further on Wednesday and the DoJ declined to comment.
当时，英国央行行长马克•卡尼(Mark Carney)曾告诉该委员会，格拉比内勋爵最初的报告“全面而深入”，诉讼律师“在调查需要调查的任何事情时都很自由”。周三，该行拒绝发表进一步置评，美国司法部也拒绝置评此事。
The DoJ has asked to interview James Pearson, head of RBS’s European forex trading, at the US embassy, according to people familiar with the situation. Mr Pearson is in an unusual position as he is not being investigated by the DoJ as part of its criminal probe. Part of that investigation is due to be settled imminently with five banks, including RBS, paying a total of $6bn in fines.
知情人士表示，美国司法部已要求在美国大使馆问询苏格兰皇家银行欧洲外汇交易主管詹姆斯•皮尔逊(James Pearson)。由于对皮尔逊的问询不属于美国司法部刑事调查的一部分，皮尔逊在这次调查中处于一种非常罕见的局面之中。对于这轮调查，美国司法部很快会就部分案例，与包括苏格兰皇家银行在内的五家银行达成和解。这五家银行共需支付总计60亿美元的罚金。
The DoJ, as well as the SFO, are still continuing with their criminal investigations into individuals, however.
不过，美国司法部和SFO仍在继续开展针对个人的刑事调查。
