Barclays CEO CS Venkatakrishnan has expressed shock and dismay at the revelations in Jeffrey Epstein's files, condemning what he described as "moral depravity" and "corruption". However, when questioned about his predecessor Jes Staley's ties to the convicted sex offender, Venkatakrishnan stopped short of commenting directly.
Despite the bank's annual profits being announced, Venkatakrishnan chose not to address allegations against Staley, including that he had forced a woman to touch his genitals during a massage and left "bloody marks" on another woman's arms. The former CEO has denied any wrongdoing but remains embroiled in a class action lawsuit in the US over claims he defrauded investors.
The bank is also facing a separate $12 billion lawsuit by an American heiress, Tanya Dick-Stock, over a Jersey trust allegedly linked to the Epstein scandal. Barclays reported annual profits of £9.1 billion and plans to return more than £15 billion to shareholders between 2026 and 2028.
Venkatakrishnan's comments come as the bank and its chair Nigel Higgins continue to battle a class action lawsuit in the US over claims they misrepresented Staley's relationship with Epstein to media and investors. The US class action suit alleges that Barclays, Higgins, and Staley repeatedly misrepresented Staley's history with Epstein to media and investors.
The fallout from Staley's ties to Epstein is having a significant impact on Barclays, with the bank facing multiple lawsuits over its handling of the scandal. The UK's Financial Conduct Authority banned Staley from the City in 2023, resulting in him losing £18 million worth of pay and bonuses from Barclays.
Barclays' profits have remained strong, however, with the bank reporting a near 13% increase to £9.1 billion and plans to return more than £15 billion to shareholders between 2026 and 2028.
Despite the bank's annual profits being announced, Venkatakrishnan chose not to address allegations against Staley, including that he had forced a woman to touch his genitals during a massage and left "bloody marks" on another woman's arms. The former CEO has denied any wrongdoing but remains embroiled in a class action lawsuit in the US over claims he defrauded investors.
The bank is also facing a separate $12 billion lawsuit by an American heiress, Tanya Dick-Stock, over a Jersey trust allegedly linked to the Epstein scandal. Barclays reported annual profits of £9.1 billion and plans to return more than £15 billion to shareholders between 2026 and 2028.
Venkatakrishnan's comments come as the bank and its chair Nigel Higgins continue to battle a class action lawsuit in the US over claims they misrepresented Staley's relationship with Epstein to media and investors. The US class action suit alleges that Barclays, Higgins, and Staley repeatedly misrepresented Staley's history with Epstein to media and investors.
The fallout from Staley's ties to Epstein is having a significant impact on Barclays, with the bank facing multiple lawsuits over its handling of the scandal. The UK's Financial Conduct Authority banned Staley from the City in 2023, resulting in him losing £18 million worth of pay and bonuses from Barclays.
Barclays' profits have remained strong, however, with the bank reporting a near 13% increase to £9.1 billion and plans to return more than £15 billion to shareholders between 2026 and 2028.
their CEO is goin all out against epstein but didnt wanna talk about his old boss staley's shadier dealings 
like, if you're condemnIN the stuff thats wrong with epstein why not speak out against staley too? its just more of the same, in my opinion 
... I get that Barclays CEO is trying to address some serious issues, but it feels like he's just glossing over the fact that his predecessor was involved with someone who allegedly did some pretty sketchy stuff 
... I mean, come on, £18 million lost in pay and bonuses because of Staley's mistakes? That's a lot of money! 
And what's up with all these lawsuits, like £12 billion and class action suits everywhere? 
. Can't they just be transparent about everything that went down instead of dodging the question? 
. I hope they can get this sorted out ASAP, because it's really affecting their reputation right now 
. And btw, £9.1 billion in profits is still pretty impressive, but let's focus on doing what's right here 
I'm getting so tired of CEOs saying one thing and doing another 
. Venkatakrishnan is being super dodgy about Staley's past, it's like he's trying to sweep it under the rug 
. I mean, if you're gonna speak out against Epstein's "moral depravity" and "corruption", then at least have the guts to address your own predecessor's involvement in all this 
. It's just not right that Staley gets a free pass while everyone else is being sued left and right 
. I mean, CS Venkatakrishnan's trying to play it cool and condemn the moral depravity but he's not addressing the elephant in the room - Jes Staley's shady past 
. Like, how can you just ignore that? The bank's profits are through the roof but who cares when your former CEO has some serious skeletons in his closet 
? And what's with the lack of transparency? Venkatakrishnan should be answering those questions directly, not dodging them like a pro 
. It feels like the bank is trying to cover its tracks rather than taking responsibility for what went down 
I mean, come on! The CEO is talking about moral depravity and corruption, but when it comes to his own predecessor's dirty laundry, he's like "I'm not saying anything". 
That's just weird. It feels like the bank is trying to sweep this stuff under the rug and move on with the profits. I get that they're trying to protect their shareholders, but at what cost? The whole Epstein scandal thing is still super shady, and it's not right that the CEO isn't being more direct about his predecessor's ties to Epstein. 
come on barclays! how can you keep quiet about this? 
. it's all good when the profits are rolling in 
i want to know more before barclays can just move forward with its plans 
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