Standard Chartered sanctions probe said to be in final stage

New York

THE long-running US investigation into Standard Chartered Plc's violations of sanctions laws - which appeared settled in 2012 only to be reopened two years later - is inching towards the finish line. Investigators from the US have been interviewing current and former employees of the London-based bank in recent months and are expected to wind down that process in the next few weeks, sources said.

The US is looking into whether Standard Chartered's violations of sanctions laws persisted after the 2000-2007 period covered by the initial investigation. Among the questions are whether the bank should have been aware of any more recent violations and brought them to regulators. Prosecutors are also trying to determine whether the bank's outside law firms encouraged it to not disclose any sanctions violations it did know about, people familiar with the matter have said.