British fraud prosecutors have offered Barclays (LON:BARC) a deal related to the banking group's fund-raising activities during the 2008 financial crisis, it emerged on Tuesday.
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has asked Barclays to sign a so-called deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) linked to the capital-raising involving Qatari investors, according to Sky News.
A DPA allows signatories to avoid prosecution while adhering to strict conditions, Sky News explained.
The SFO announced in August 2012 that it had formally opened an investigation into "certain commercial arrangements between Barclays Bank and Qatar Holdings in 2008".
At the time of the financial crisis, Barclays said the fund-raising allowed it to avoid the taxpayer-funded bailouts received by the likes of Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) and Lloyds Banking Group (LON:LLOY).
Sky News cited people close to the situation saying the SFO wrote to Barclays several weeks ago to propose the deal.
Barclays and the SFO declined to comment.
It comes shortly after former chief executive Antony Jenkins quit Barclays. It also emerged that deputy chairman Mike Rake was leaving to take up a post with payment group Worldpay.