Senior political figures and business groups are intensifying their demands for Lloyds Banking Group to publish a crucial report investigating a £1 billion fraud scandal. The Dame Linda Dobbs review, which examines allegations of a cover-up at HBOS prior to its acquisition by Lloyds in 2009, has faced significant delays and mounting scrutiny.
Lord Tyrie, the former Treasury committee chairman, has described the handling of the review as “itself becoming a scandal.” The bank’s reluctance to commit to providing the complete report to MPs has sparked concerns about transparency and accountability in the financial sector.
Baroness Morgan of Cotes, who previously chaired the Treasury committee, has expressed her expectation for a full, unredacted version of the report, contrary to Lloyds’ current position of sharing only “the findings.” Conservative MP Kevin Hollinrake has directly challenged Lloyds’ chief executive Charlie Nunn, seeking firm commitments regarding the report’s publication.
The review centres on a complex fraud scheme operated through HBOS’s Reading branch, where bankers and consultants exploited loose credit policies, leading to the destruction of numerous small and medium-sized enterprises. Six individuals were subsequently imprisoned in 2017.
Internal documentation suggests that HBOS executives’ knowledge of the Reading scandal might have derailed Lloyds’ rescue of HBOS and its £4 billion rights issue in 2008. Dame Linda Dobbs, appointed in April 2017, initially projected a completion timeline of months, yet the review remains outstanding after seven years.
The British Trade Union (BTU), representing Lloyds staff, has requested parliamentary intervention to expedite the process. Lloyds maintains its commitment to sharing the review’s findings with the Treasury committee, though questions persist about the extent of disclosure planned.
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