BNP Paribas, which is facing a huge fine for allegedly handling transactions for countries sanctioned by the US, is still committed to boosting wealth management in the US, a report said.

BNP Paribas, which is facing a $10 billion US penalty over its dealings with sanctioned countries such as Iran, is holding to its plan to expand its BancWest division, according to Bloomberg.

BancWest, which opened a private-banking flagship office in San Francisco less than two years ago, will hire almost 100 wealth management advisors through 2016, Sofia Merlo, co-head of wealth management at BNP Paribas, told the news service in an interview. At present, that business employs about 200 with more than $7 billion under management, Merlo was quoted as saying.

BancWest operates “essentially in West Coast states and we also envisage being in New York,” Merlo said. “Two years ago we were less well-known, and today we manage to lure people from very big banks. We are hiring a lot.”

The report said she declined to comment on the US case. US authorities are seeking a guilty plea and more than $10 billion over the French bank’s dealings in sanctioned countries including Sudan and Iran, media reports have said.

The bank has said it is cooperating with the probe.

Last week, the firm said its chief operating officer and Swiss subsidiary chairman has retired less than a week after it was reported that US authorities called for his dismissal. George Chodron de Courcel’s retirement was announced by the bank in a statement but gave no reason for his departure.

Many of these allegedly improper trades were processed at BNP’s Swiss subsidiary where Chodron de Courcel was chairman.