UT (Tax & Chancery) UT-2023-000064 - [2025] UKUT 00203 (TCC)
Fecha: 03-Abr-2025
Financial Penalty
Financial Penalty
Under section 66(3) FSMA the Authority may impose a financial penalty on an individual holding a Senior Management Function if it is satisfied that he has committed misconduct while holding such a position.
The Authority’s policy on imposing a financial penalty is set out in that part of the Authority’s Handbook known as DEPP.
DEPP 6.1.2 states that the principal purpose of imposing a financial penalty is to promote high standards of regulatory and/or market conduct by deterring persons who have committed breaches from committing further breaches and helping to deter other persons from committing similar breaches, as well as demonstrating generally the benefits of compliant behaviour.
DEPP 6.2.4 states that disciplinary action against senior managers of firms and other individuals is one of the Authority’s key tools in deterring firms and individuals from committing breaches.
As set out in DEPP 6.5B the Authority applies a five-step framework to determine the appropriate level of financial penalty. In cases such as this the five-step framework operates as follows:
- Heading
- INTRODUCTION
- BACKGROUND TO THE REFERENCE
- THE AUTHORITY’S CASE AND MR STALEY’S POSITION
- APPLICABLE LAW AND REGULATORY PROVISIONS
- Rules of conduct
- Prohibition
- Fitness and propriety
- Law relating to integrity
- Financial Penalty
- Step 1: Disgorgement
- ISSUES TO BE DETERMINED AND THE ROLE OF THE TRIBUNAL
- Issues to be determined
- Context
- What is not in issue in this reference
- Standard and burden of proof
- EVIDENCE
- Mr Staley’s evidence
- Documentary evidence
- FINDINGS OF FACT
- The accuracy of the Statements in the Letter
- The period after Mr Epstein’s conviction until Mr Staley left JPM at the end of 2012
- Mr Epstein simply responded “family”
- The period after Mr Staley left JPM at the end of 2012 until he joined Barclays in 2015
- Evaluation of the relationship
- The recency of the last contact between Mr Staley and Mr Epstein at the time the Letter was written
- What Mr Staley told Barclays about his relationship with Mr Epstein
- Period prior to Mr Epstein’s arrest in July 2019
- Period following Mr Epstein’s arrest on 6 July 2019
- Bowdoin College Talking Points
- The process of drafting of the Bowdoin College Talking Points
- Final version of the Bowdoin College Talking Points
- Content of the final version of the Bowdoin College Talking Points
- Presentation to Bowdoin College
- Conclusion on Barclays’ knowledge of the relationship
- The scope of the Authority’s enquiry in August 2019
- The origin of the Authority’s enquiry
- What was said on the call of 15 August 2019
- Conclusion on the scope of the Authority’s enquiry
- The preparation of the Letter and Mr Staley’s approval of it
- October 2019: Drafting of the Letter
- Second draft
- Telephone calls with Mr Gillies: 2 and 4 October
- The call between Mr Higgins and Mr Davidson on 4 October
- Further drafts: 5 and 6 October
- The call of 7 October between Mr Hoyt and Mr Staley
- Finalisation of the Letter
- THE AUTHORITY’S INVESTIGATION
- The Scope of the Authority’s Initial Enquiry in 2019
- Materiality of the Statements
- Accuracy of the Statements
- Recklessness of approving the Statements
- Whether Mr Staley knew that the Statements were inaccurate
- Whether Mr Staley was aware that there was a risk that the Statements would mislead the Authority
- Conclusions