The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has invited Barclays to discuss a potential deal that will close the SFO’s criminal probe into the bank’s £2 billion Qatari fundraising in 2008. Recent news reports suggest that Barclays is considering if it should accept a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the SFO but sources familiar with the situation says that under a DPA, the company will be slapped with a hefty fine and held under tighter terms and conditions.
The U.K. watchdog has been investigating the bank’s alleged role in lending Qatari investors money, which they eventually used to participate in the cash call, the Financial Times reports. The bank’s £2bn fundraising initiative in 2008 caused regulators to zero in on the company’s financial statements and business practices.
