Barclays Plc boss apologises for trying to unmask whistleblower

A branch of British bank Barclays in central London on February 23, 2017. AFP PHOTO | BEN STANSALL  

By REUTERS

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Summary

• Barclays last month said it had reprimanded Staley and would cut his bonus after he twice attempted to identify the author of a letter that revealed "concerns of a personal nature" about an unnamed senior employee.

Barclays Plc's under-fire chief executive Jes Staley on Wednesday apologised to the bank's shareholders over his attempts to unmask a whistleblower that saw him face regulatory probes on both sides of the Atlantic.

"I made a mistake in becoming involved in an issue which I should have left to the business to deal with," Staley told investors at the lender's annual general meeting in London.

Barclays last month said it had reprimanded Staley and would cut his bonus after he twice attempted to identify the author of a letter that revealed "concerns of a personal nature" about an unnamed senior employee.

Staley also said on Wednesday that he did not see a need to shift jobs or significant operations out of Britain as a result of the vote last June to leave the EU, regardless of how the exit negotiations pan out.