Justice Dept says Barclays engaged in illegal transactions with banks in sanctioned countries

DOJ says Barclays engaged in illegal transactions

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department alleges that Barclays Bank PLC illegally engaged in financial transactions with banks in Cuba, Iran, Libya, Sudan and Burma.

The countries are under economic and trade sanctions from the U.S. government.

The department says in papers filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., that Barclays hid the payments’ connection to the sanctioned financial institutions in those countries. According to the court filing, Barclays carried out the transactions from 1995 to 2006.