Barclays CEO probed for trying to unmask whistleblower
Jes Staley sought to identify author of anonymous letters
LONDON, April 10, (AP): The CEO of Barclays bank is being investigated by regulators for his attempts to unmask a whistleblower who had written anonymous letters raising concerns about a senior employee.
Jes Staley had sought to identify the author of the letters but was told it was inappropriate to do so under rules protecting whistleblowers. Staley then sought again to identify the person, even using help from a US law enforcement agency, but failed.
The bank, which has faced a number of legal problems in recent years, said Monday that Staley had honestly, but mistakenly, believed that he had clearance to identify the whistleblower.
Staley will face a written reprimand and a “very significant” adjustment in his pay, Barclays said. The amount will be determined once the official inquiries have concluded.
He faces an official inquiry by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority for his actions.
The incident involves anonymous letters written in 2016 to the board and an executive that raised questions about the recruitment of a new senior employee and Staley’s role in the hiring process.
Staley at first tried to use the bank’s security team to identify the author, the bank said.
Barclays says the board first learned about the problem earlier this year “as a result of a concern raised by an employee” who questioned the effectiveness of the bank’s whistleblowing policy.