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Ex-Barclays CEO Jes Staley admits he had sex with Jeffrey Epstein's staff member
Staley stated that he had been introduced to the woman by sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, and that the sexual encounter was consensual.
Former Barclays CEO Jes Staley admitted, during a court case, that he had sex with a member of convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein's staff, reported news agency Reuters.
The banker, who is appealing against a proposed ban on financial services due to his close relations with Epstein, was asked about whether he had sexual intercourse with a woman at an apartment in New York owned by Jeffrey Epstein's brother.
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Staley stated that he had been introduced to the woman by Jeffrey Epstein, whose staff she was a member of, and that the sexual encounter was consensual. He said he got close to the woman while waiting for Epstein, who was often late for meetings, reported Bloomberg.
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Britain's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) stated that the woman had previously brought a claim against Epstein’s estate, and had asked Staley to be excluded from any settlement she reached.
FCA ban on Jes Staley
The FCA in 2023 had stated that they would institute a lifetime ban on Staley and fine him 1.8 million pounds ($2.3 million) for allegedly misleading them about his relationship with disgraced American financier Jeffrey Epstein.
68-year-old Staley also claimed on Tuesday that he was unaware of Epstein's “monstrous activities”.
The FCA pointed out that Staley's previous employer JP Morgan had been sued by the US Virgin Islands for alleged ignoring their client Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking. The bank had in turn sued Staley before the case was settled.
The financial authority has claimed that a letter from 2019 sent to them by Barclays Chair Nigel Higgins in the aftermath of Epstein's arrest, has misleading statements about Staley's relationship to Epstein.
The letter claims that Staley "did not have a close relationship" with Epstein and that their last contact was "well before he joined Barclays in 2015". Staley has claimed that both statements are accurate.
The case against Staley cites over a 1,000 emails that were exchanged between him and Epstein, where he claims Epstein was “family” and describes their friendship as “profound”.
In an email chain from 2010, Staley and Epstein spoke about Disney characters, which the FCA used to highlight that the two had a relationship that “went beyond one that was professional in nature.”
Staley wrote to Epstein, “That was fun. Say hi to Snow White," and replied that he would like “Beauty and the Beast” next, in response to Epstein's question about which “character” he would want.
Staley has claimed that he does not recall the emails with Epstein, however the FCA's lawyer said that the exchange proved their relationship was personal in nature.
The FCA also brought up that Jeffrey Epstein had asked Jes Staley to be the trustee of his estate, though Staley claimed that he had turned him down.
Staley's turn to provide evidence in the appeal will end on Friday.
