LONDON, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Britain has taken robust action
to crack down on dirty money in recent years, its government
said on Monday in response to reports that HSBC, Barclays and
other banks moved large sums of allegedly illicit funds despite
red flags about the origins of the money.
"Criminals should not be able to profit from their illegal
activities in any circumstances, and we have taken robust action
in recent years to crack down on dirty money," a government
spokesperson said in a statement.
Shares in HSBC and Standard Chartered fell on Monday to
their lowest since at least 1998 after the media reports based
on leaked suspicious activity reports filed by financial firms
with the U.S. Dept of Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement
Network (FinCen).
(Reporting by Huw Jones; Editing by Catherine Evans)