NEW YORK (Reuters) — Citigroup senior executive Paul Barrett has left the bank, it said on Tuesday, days after media reports that he met with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein while he was employed at rival JPMorgan Chase became public.
“Until recently, Citi was unaware of Paul Barrett’s association with Jeffrey Epstein, which predated his employment at our firm. Mr. Barrett is no longer employed by Citi,” the bank said in a statement.
The news of the departure was first reported by Financial Times.
JPMorgan bankers continued to have meetings with the sex offender Epstein even after the bank decided to close his accounts in 2013, the Wall Street Journal reported last week, citing people familiar with the matter.
On April 18, a federal judge had ordered JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon to set aside two days for depositions about what he knew about the bank’s relationship with former client Epstein.
JPMorgan, the largest U.S. bank, faces lawsuits seeking damages by women who claim that Epstein sexually abused them, and by the U.S. Virgin Islands, where the late financier had a home.
The lawsuits against JPMorgan have brought to light alleged internal deliberations at the bank over its relationship with Epstein, which lasted from 1998 until 2013.
The lawsuits have alleged JPMorgan executives joked about Epstein’s interest in young girls.
Reporting by Manya Saini in Bengaluru and Saeed Azhar in New York; Editing by Shailesh Kuber.
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