Barclays and four of its former top executives were charged with fraud on Tuesday over undisclosed payments to Qatari investors as part of a £12 billion pound emergency fundraising during the financial crisis in 2008, the BBC reports. Britain's Serious Fraud Office charged Barclays Plc, former chief executive John Varley, Roger Jenkins, Tom Kalaris and Richard Boath with conspiracy to commit fraud and unlawful financial assistance in its first criminal prosecution of a bank and senior managers over events during the credit crisis. Barclays said it was considering its position and awaiting further information about the charges, which follow a five-year inquiry.