Former Barclays chief Jes Staley will appear before a House oversight committee on Thursday to answer questions about his long autonomous relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The testimony comes amid a broader congressional probe into financial ties that linked many Wall Street executives to the disgraced financier.

Staley, who headed JPMorgan’s private‑wealth and asset‑management divisions, counted Epstein as a top client and described the relationship as ಐ"very close," even calling him a friend. DoJ files released late last year show Staley was named as Epstein’s executor in several wills, a fact he has disputed.

The committee has already questioned former Goldman Sachs lawyer Kathy Ruemmler and issued subpoenas to Apollo co‑founder Leon Black. While the inquiry is separate from the Department of Justice’s effort to release more than 3mn pages of Epstein material, it underscores lawmakers’ insistence that any executive with ties to the case be held to account.

Staley’s UK ban from financial services, imposed by the FCA, remains in place, and his lawyers have yet to comment on the new evidence. The House panel will examine whether Staley ever served as a trustee of Epstein’s estate and how his actions may have impacted the federal response to the 2019 scandal.