Barclays boss Jes Staley ‘ready to talk to FBI’ about Jeffrey Epstein

Barclays chief executive Jes Staley is ready to tell US authorities everything he knows about Jeffrey Esptein following revelations that British regulators are probing his links with the paedophile financier.

Lawyers for Epstein’s victims have urged the banking boss to speak with the FBI and hand over any information he has on his former client.

Staley last week admitted that he maintained contact with the disgraced financier for seven years after his conviction, adding that he “deeply regretted” the relationship.

The pair’s relationship dated back to 2000, when Staley took over as head of JP Morgan’s private bank, which counted Epstein as a client.

Staley said the relationship began to “taper off” after he left JP Morgan in 2013 before ending “totally” in 2015 when he took over at Barclays.

But lawyers said the banker might have insights into personal or financial details relating to Epstein, who took his own life in a New York jail last year while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Lisa Bloom, who represents several victims, told the Mail on Sunday: “For decades, prolific paedophile Jeffrey Epstein was allowed to victimise girls with impunity. Only now is law enforcement trying to get to the bottom of how this happened.

“Everyone who knew Epstein for any period of time must cooperate with law enforcement, including Jes Staley, who appears to have remained close with Epstein even after his sex crime conviction. We call upon Mr Staley to do the right thing and tell the FBI what he knows.”

It is understood that Staley has not been approached with requests for information by US authorities, but would fully cooperate if asked. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by the Barclays boss.

However, the connection between Staley and Epstein has proved controversial in the UK, where the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority have opened a probe into their ties.

The investigation, which was launched in December but only came to light last week, has sparked speculation that Staley’s job could be at risk.

But Barclays said an internal review had cleared Staley of any wrongdoing and he would be unanimously recommended to re-election at the company’s annual general meeting.