Epstein-Lutnick whistleblower case probed in UK

Britain's Financial Conduct Authority said Tuesday it would review how it handled the case of Simon Andriesz, a British banker and whistleblower whose friends said he died by suicide last month after raising concerns about alleged links between Jeffrey Epstein and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Andriesz, 57, joined the brokerage BGC in 2012, when Lutnick headed the firm, and left in 2017. He alleged that emails found among Epstein files showed close ties between Epstein and Lutnick. The BBC reported that Andriesz raised concerns this year with the FCA and the FBI.

The FCA said it would “review how we interacted with Mr Andriesz to learn any lessons for the future”. Stephen Braviner Roman, the FCA's chief risk officer, said new board member Lea Paterson had been asked to lead the review and examine whether the agency could have done better.

In May, Lutnick answered questions before the US House Oversight Committee about his ties to Epstein after publicly released files undermined his claims about when he had cut ties with the convicted sex offender. Democrats later portrayed Lutnick as evasive and dishonest and demanded his resignation. Lutnick has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing.

A cross-party group of British MPs said the case raised deeply troubling questions about how whistleblowers can be treated when they approach the FCA.