§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received from the United Kingdom's overseas posts concerning the administration and activities of any branch of BCCI; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Garel-JonesAll overseas posts were informed of the action on 5 July by the regulatory authorities in a number of jurisdictions to secure control of the assets of banks in the BCC group. A number of posts have subsequently reported on developments in individual countries. We had reports last year of the indictment of BCCI in Florida on charges of money laundering. We are checking whether we have had reports from posts about other banks in the BCC group prior to 5 July and will write to the hon. Member.