Former Barclays boss Jes Staley hits back at Epstein claims

Former head of Barclays bank responds to allegations about his connection to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, calling them ‘defamatory and baseless’

The former head of Barclays Bank has hit back at allegations about his connection to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, calling them “defamatory and baseless.”

Jes Staley is facing a lawsuit from his former employer JP Morgan, seeking to hold him liable for the sentences he incurs amid claims it enabled Epstein’s crimes.

Staley, the former head of JP Morgan’s private bank, has asked the court to postpone his October trial to March 2024.

Allegations: Jes Staley (pictured) faces a lawsuit from his former employer JP Morgan, seeking to hold him accountable for the sentences he faces amid claims it enabled Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes

The timeline gave him “far too little” time to defend himself against what he says are false claims.

JP Morgan faces two civil suits alleging it facilitated Epstein’s sex trafficking and believes Staley, 66, should pay damages if it loses the cases.

In a letter to a Manhattan court last week, Staley asked that the lawsuit against him be separated from the other civil suits.

But JP Morgan said he was “inseparable from these matters” and there was “no point in separating him.”