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Jeffrey Epstein claimed to have brokered conferences between then senior banker Jes Staley and high-ranking members of the UK authorities, in keeping with an inside investigation by JPMorgan Chase.
A 22-page report by the financial institution, compiled following the arrest of its former shopper in 2019 and seen by the Monetary Instances, particulars how Epstein provided to attach Staley with UK chancellor on the time Alistair Darling and Peter Mandelson, former enterprise secretary and de facto deputy prime minister.
In January 2010, simply months after he was launched from jail having served a sentence for intercourse crimes, Epstein wrote to Staley: “I’ve arrange you and peter to satisfy in davos with darling,” a reference to the World Financial Discussion board that was happening in Switzerland.
Just a few days later, Staley wrote to Epstein that he noticed “Peter final evening. Darling in 20 minutes. Will discuss once more with Peter this AM.”
Darling stated he had no recollection of assembly Staley, then a senior government at JPMorgan, and didn’t have any dealings with Epstein. “Why would I?” he requested.
An ensuing change recounted within the report means that Staley was within the pending sale of the non-North American models of Sempra Commodities by Royal Financial institution of Scotland, which was compelled to divest the unit following a UK authorities bailout. Months later, JPMorgan purchased the enterprise for $1.7bn
Darling stated that any assembly on authorities enterprise would have been attended by civil servants and that the Treasury was not concerned within the working of RBS.
An individual near Mandelson stated he met Staley at Davos to debate the banking disaster however that Epstein “actually” didn’t prepare the assembly.
The report means that Epstein and Mandelson spoke and met “on quite a lot of events”.
Based on the report, the corporate discovered an e-mail from Epstein to Staley saying that “peter” was staying at “71st” over the weekend in June 2009. Epstein owned a flat in East 71st Avenue, Manhattan. It additionally quoted Epstein emailing Staley in January 2011 telling him “peter in paris with me”. Epstein owned a lavish flat within the French capital.
A spokesman for the Labour peer stated: “Lord Mandelson very a lot regrets ever having been launched to Epstein. This connection has been a matter of public document for a while. He by no means had any type of skilled or enterprise relationship with Epstein in any kind.”
There isn’t any suggestion of any wrongdoing by Darling or Mandelson, however the report illustrates how Epstein sought to tout his political connections to wield affect.
A number of different exchanges level to a pleasant relationship between Epstein, Staley and Britain’s Prince Andrew. In 2009, in keeping with the report, Epstein emailed Staley: “Ask Andrew about [the] island, inform him about your boat plans”, an obvious reference to Little St James, Epstein’s non-public island within the Caribbean
In 2010, Epstein forwarded an e-mail from Prince Andrew to Staley “with an inquiry the Prince acquired” from an organization “in search of a $200mn working capital line”.
“For the reason that firm is predicated within the US, Prince Andrew appeared to recommend Epstein join them with a US financial institution,” JPMorgan’s investigation concluded.
A consultant for Prince Andrew and attorneys for Staley didn’t reply to a request for remark.
Epstein died by suicide in jail whereas awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking fees in 2019.
The choice by JPMorgan to retain Epstein as a shopper from 1998 to 2013 prompted the submitting of two bombshell lawsuits late final yr, one in every of which, introduced by an alleged Epstein sufferer, was settled by the financial institution for $290mn final week.
The financial institution nonetheless faces a separate civil declare from the US Virgin Islands, the place Epstein’s dwelling on Little St James was primarily based. The territory accuses JPMorgan of making the most of human trafficking by ignoring quite a few inside pink flags about Epstein.
“Jeffrey Epstein linked JPMorgan Chase’s executives with a few of the world’s most high-profile and rich people,” stated a spokesperson for the USVI attorney-general.
They added: “The USVI’s criticism alleges that, in return for bringing precious new shoppers into the financial institution, JPMorgan Chase . . . ignored the proof of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and traded victims’ public security for its personal earnings.”
JPMorgan has in flip sued Staley, who was for a interval Epstein’s private banker on the US lender, and went on to guide Barclays within the UK earlier than resigning after UK regulators concluded that he had mischaracterised his relationship with the disgraced financier.
JPMorgan claims that Staley, who has been accused by an unnamed Epstein sufferer of taking part in intercourse crimes, withheld details about the disgraced financier from the financial institution. Staley has referred to as the allegations “slanderous” and “baseless”.
The interior JPMorgan report underlines how shut Staley was to Epstein, with the 2 discussing Staley’s profession development, “lovely ladies” and using luxurious boats and helicopters. It additionally discovered that Staley wrote to Epstein whereas he was in jail. And it accommodates excerpts of exchanges that recommend that Epstein was attempting to help Staley’s daughter in being accepted into Columbia college in New York.
A few of the findings within the report have been earlier revealed by the Wall Avenue Journal.
JPMorgan declined to touch upon the report.
In response to the settlement reached with Epstein victims final week, the financial institution stated: “All of us now perceive that Epstein’s behaviour was monstrous, and we consider this settlement is in one of the best curiosity of all events, particularly the survivors, who suffered unimaginable abuse by the hands of this man.
“Any affiliation with him was a mistake, and we remorse it,” it added.
Extra reporting by William Wallis in London
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