Barclays accused of sanctions breach

LONDON, April 30 (UPI) -- British Member of Parliament Norman Lamb alleged Wednesday that Barclays Bank is providing services for sanctioned members of the Zimbabwean government.

"Surely it is scandalous that a British company -- via a local subsidiary -- is providing financial support and sustenance to this brutal regime and to key figures within it," Lamb said during a debate at Westminster Hall.

The European Union has sanctioned 131 members of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's government since 2002, freezing their accounts and assets, The Telegraph reported.

Lamb also said the bank had helped "finance facilities worth $217 million to Zimbabwean companies involved in tobacco, mining, sugar, manufacturing and horticulture."

Parliamentary Undersecretary of State Meg Munn said, "if there is a breach we will act," The Telegraph reported.

"To date there have been no cases where British banks have been found to be in breach of the prohibitions of the EU regulations," Munn said.