Britain's revenue and customs service is examining allegations criminals may have used offshore accounts with HSBC, Europe's biggest bank, to launder money.
Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs said in a statement it had been contacted about a leaked list of the bank's customers, and accusations in a British newspaper that the clients include drug dealers and gun runners.
"We can confirm we have received the data and are studying it. We receive information from a very wide range of sources which we use to ensure the tax rules are being respected," the HMRC said.
