CNN | The American chief executive of Barclays (BCS), Jes Staley, is stepping down with immediate effect following an investigation by British regulators into his relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, the bank said on Monday.
The
investigation by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Bank of
England's Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) was disclosed by
Barclays in early 2020 and focused on how Staley had characterized the
relationship to his employer.
Barclays
and Staley were made aware on Friday evening by the FCA and the PRA of
the preliminary conclusions of their investigation.
"In
view of those conclusions, and Mr Staley's intention to contest them,
the board [of Barclays] and Mr Staley have agreed that he will step down
from his role as group chief executive and as a director of Barclays,"
Barclays said in its statement on Monday.
"It
should be noted that the investigation makes no findings that Mr Staley
saw, or was aware of, any of Mr Epstein's alleged crimes, which was the
central question underpinning Barclays' support for Mr Staley following
the arrest of Mr Epstein in the summer of 2019," the bank added, saying
it was not appropriate for it to comment further.
A
spokesperson for the FCA and PRA said the regulators "do not comment on
ongoing investigations or regulatory proceedings" beyond confirming the
actions detailed in the statement from Barclays.
Epstein, a multimillionaire and convicted pedophile who was charged with sex trafficking by US federal prosecutors, died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial.
Staley had been running Barclays since late 2015. Prior to that he worked for more than 30 years at JPMorgan (JPM),
where he served as head of its investment banking division. His
relationship with Epstein dated back to 2000, when he became head of
JPMorgan's private bank.
"He
was already a client. The relationship was maintained during my time at
JPMorgan, but as I left Morgan it tapered off quite significantly,"
Staley told reporters on a call in February 2020.
Asked then whether he regretted his relationship with Epstein, Staley
said: "Obviously I thought I knew him well and I didn't. And for sure
with hindsight of what we all know now I deeply regret having had any
relationship with Jeffrey Epstein."
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