British whistleblower who exposed Jeffrey Epstein link found dead as MPs call for investigation

His family said he had taken his own life and there was no suggestion of foul play.

Before his death, Mr Andriesz had approached the FCA, the FBI and other authorities with evidence he said showed previously undisclosed business connections between Mr Lutnick and Epstein, the disgraced peadophile financier who died in 2019.

His claims also challenged public statements made by Mr Lutnick about his relationship with the convicted sex offender.

Mr Andriesz had worked for BGC Partners, the firm founded and previously led by Lutnick before he joined Donald Trump's administration.

Among the material he supplied was evidence concerning an alleged proposal by Lutnick in 2013 to enter a business arrangement with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew.

Mr Andriesz said Lutnick had sought to "buy a prince", proposing a £1million loan in return for access to the former prince's contacts to help attract investment - which BGC has said never went ahead.

Simon Andriesz, a former senior employee of international brokerage BGC Partners, died in Thailand on September 23

BBC

He also submitted material to the FCA concerning alleged misconduct at BGC, including a claim money from a commission pool intended for brokers' bonuses had been "embezzled" for improper purposes - which BGC also denied.

The circumstances surrounding Mr Andriesz's treatment by the FCA have prompted concern among MPs and financial-sector campaigners.

John McDonnell, Labour MP and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Investment Fraud and Fairer Financial Services, described his death as a "profound and preventable tragedy".

Mr McDonnell said whistleblowers were "an essential part of the financial regulatory system" and warned confidence in the system would suffer if people did not believe they would be "treated properly, protected appropriately and listened to seriously".

The parliamentary group is calling for an independent assessment of how the FCA handles whistleblowers and their allegations.

At an event involving MPs, whistleblowers and campaigners in the weeks before his death, Mr Andriesz said he had been "thoroughly let down" and subjected to "absolute hell" after providing evidence of what he regarded as retaliation by BGC and its lawyers.

The FCA had previously told him there was "insufficient evidence" to establish retaliation had taken place. Mr Andriesz believed the decision had made it more difficult for him to pursue a whistleblower-retaliation claim against BGC at an employment tribunal.

At another meeting organised by the Transparency Task Force, he accused the regulator of failing in its responsibilities to whistleblowers and the wider public.

Previously undisclosed business connections between Howard Lutnick and Jeffrey Epstein emerged

US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

"It protects the institution and then exposes the whistleblower to extreme retaliation and devastation to their lives and families," he said.

The FCA said it had acted on information supplied by Mr Andriesz and pointed to a supervision order it had issued as a result of his allegations.

An FCA spokesman said: "We are very sorry to hear of Mr Andriesz's death. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.

"Since expressing our condolences, we'd asked Lea Paterson, who has just joined our board as a non-executive director, to review how we interacted with Mr Andriesz to learn any lessons for the future."

BGC has previously said it has strong whistleblower-protection policies and denied retaliating against Mr Andriesz.