2015年3月11日，英国央行行长卡尼向议员们暗示，由英国检控部门严重欺诈办公室(SFO)对货币市场标售活动进行的一项调查将涉及外部交易员和央行官员。

　　当英国上议院经济事务委员会问及SFO调查的范围时，卡尼回答说：“已经提供的明确信息与标售相关，标售中有各种参与者。”

　　卡尼在周二的听证会上表示，英国央行在去年春节得到密报，称2007年和2008年的紧急流动性标售可能存在滥用情况，标售操作为银行机构在金融危机处于深渊时提供了资金支持。央行将其自身调查的初步结果提交给在12月份启动全面调查的SFO。

　　卡尼表示，SFO建议央行不要就此次调查置评，以免节外生枝。卡尼说，英国央行会在条件允许时尽快向公众和议会通报此次调查的情况。“这些都是严重的问题，这些问题得到适当调查的解决绝对是至关重要的。我不想做任何有损此次调查的事情。”

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新闻报道：

Bank of England faces biggest reputational crisis in its 320 year history after being dragged into criminal probe

--DailyMail

The Bank of England faces the biggest reputational crisis in its 320 year history after being dragged into a criminal probe over the emergency support it gave to struggling lenders during the financial crisis.

After the run on Northern Rock in September 2007, the central bank supplied high street lenders with cheap funding throughso called money market auctions to stop the banking system freezing as the credit crunch intensified.

The Serious Fraud Office is investigating whether staff at the Bank’s headquarters on Thread needle Street were aware of or even conspired with banks to manipulate the rescue scheme.

Last night experts said traders atBritain’s high street banks may have misused the funds to gamble on the markets and boost their profits.

The probe could spread to Lord King, who was governor at the time, and former deputy governor Paul Tucker, the then executive director of the Markets division in charge of running the called money market auctions.

Last night Tory MP Mark Garnier, a member of the Treasury Select Committee, stressed the need to wait for the SFO to complete its investigations into the emergency auctions held in 2007 and 2008.

But he added: ‘The most important thing for any central bank is to be utterly trustworthy and a rock of stability for theeconomy. If a central bank is found to have been involved in criminal activities it would be profound.

Philip Augar, an author and former investment banker, said although the funds were provided to prop up ailing lenders during the financial crisis ‘traders at the banks found a way of using this money to their advantage’.

Last year the Bank of England instructed aleading barrister, Lord Grabiner QC, to look into whether any of its staff knew or participated in attempts to rig the auctions.

This included trawling through emails, electronic chats and phone calls between Bank staff and City workers.

The Bank then passed the findings on to the SFO.

One insider at the SFO said it was ‘looking at every angle’.

As part of the probe the agency could use its powers to force current and former workers at high street lenders and the Bank of England.

The investigation is a crushing blow to the Bank’s reputation, which was accused of being slow to react to the financial crisis.

It was not the first crisis to engulf the Bank.

The powerful institution at the heart of the City of London, founded in 1694, was also heavily criticised over the collapse of merchant bank Barings in 1995.

That year its reputation was rocked when the then deputy governor Rupert Pennant-Rea quit after being caught having an extra marital affair with a journalist.

Details emerged of Mr Pennant-Rea having sex with his mistress on the floor of the then governor Sir Eddie George’s office

Mark Carney, a Canadian who replaced Lord King as governor in July 2013, is attempting to overhaul the Bank.

But his reforms have been overshadowed by the SFO investigation and recent allegations of wrongdoing.

This week he admitted the institution’s reputation has been hurt by accusations its staff turned a blind eye to the manipulation of the ￡3.5trillion a day foreign exchange markets.

Yesterday the Bank of England said ‘given the SFO investigation is ongoing, it is not appropriate for the Bank to provide any additional comment on this matter’.

The alleged wrong doing has parallels with an extraordinary scam by Lloyds to rip off tax payers during the financial crisis by manipulating another emergency funding scheme.

It was fined ￡70 million by the Financial Conduct Authority last year, prompting Mr Carney to declare those involved could be involved in ‘criminal conduct’.

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