Chief executive James Staley of the British bank Barclays is being investigated by regulators in the United Kingdom for his links with the American billionaire and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), among others, a financial watchdog, looks at what exactly Staley’s relationship with Epstein was and whether he was sufficiently open about this to his employer.
The top of Barclays supports the top manager. According to the board of directors, Staley explained his relationship with the controversial American in a timely and complete manner. Staley would have seen Epstein for the last time before he took office at the top in 2015. The directors all voted for the re-election of the CEO.
Neither the British bank nor the FCA revealed exactly what the relationship between Staley and Epstein was. Among other things, Epstein was accused of sexual abuse of minors and committed suicide in his cell last year. He organized many lavish parties where many famous people such as the British Prince Andrew were guests.
Barclays, incidentally, posted a higher profit before taxes for 2019 in the books of £ 6.2 billion. That was an increase of 9 percent compared to a year earlier. The investment banking division mainly led to more money in the drawer. The British group did good business with the trade in bonds.