British whistleblower Simon Andriesz, who raised allegations about links between US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Jeffrey Epstein, died by hanging in Thailand, according to local records.
Mr Andriesz, 57, was found dead in a town outside Bangkok on the morning of September 23. Khlong Luang Town’s municipality office recorded his cause of death as “asphyxiation from hanging”.
The former Wall Street banker had been living in Cornwall and was previously managing director at BGC Group, where Mr Lutnick was chief executive. He spent 35 years working in the securities industry before being dismissed in 2017.
His family said Mr Andriesz was “a much-loved husband, father, brother, son and friend” whose death had left “an enormous hole” in the lives of those close to him.
They added that he had a “very strong sense of right and wrong” and found it difficult to ignore what he believed was wrong, saying he continued to speak out despite the personal cost.
“Our hope now is that Simon is remembered not simply for the circumstances of his death, but for his life, his courage and the issues he spent so many years trying to bring into the light,” the family said.
Mr Andriesz’s death was confirmed by Andy Agathangelou, founder of the Transparency Task Force, a campaign group which had held events on whistleblowing with him.
Mr Agathangelou described him as a whistleblower who “stood up for what was right” and a “valued member of our community”. Financial services expert Paul Callin said Mr Andriesz had “bravely fought alone for several years” to expose what he believed was evidence of wrongdoing.
Allegations involving Howard Lutnick
Mr Andriesz had uncovered emails from 2018 which he said showed Mr Lutnick and Epstein discussing a start-up business in which they were involved.
He presented his findings, taken from the Epstein files, to politicians on the House Oversight Committee before Mr Lutnick appeared before them in May. Mr Lutnick said he only learned this year that Epstein had been an investor in the firm, while the US Commerce Department said there was no evidence of wrongdoing.
Epstein died in prison the following year. The emails were exchanged a decade after he was convicted in 2008 of soliciting prostitution from a child.
Mr Andriesz later told the BBC that one of Mr Lutnick’s companies had planned in 2013 to enter a business arrangement with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. He alleged the plan involved exploiting contacts made through a £1 million loan to “basically buy a prince”. The deal did not go ahead.
Mr Lutnick has said he met Epstein three times and “unequivocally condemn[ed] the conduct attributed to Jeffrey Epstein and everyone who participated in his illegal activities”.
BGC said it had long disputed Mr Andriesz’s allegations but did not intend to revisit them following his death. A spokesman said the company was sorry to hear the news and offered its condolences to his family.
The company had previously described the allegations as “categorically false” and said they remained unsubstantiated after investigations by authorities in several jurisdictions. It said Mr Andriesz was dismissed after refusing medical advice, failing to perform essential duties, rejecting reasonable accommodation and abandoning his role.
Financial Conduct Authority review
Mr Andriesz had complained to the Financial Conduct Authority and the FBI about what he said were links between Mr Lutnick and Epstein, as well as alleged retaliation by BGC and its lawyers.
MPs have called for an investigation into the treatment of whistleblowers by the FCA. Labour MP John McDonnell described Mr Andriesz’s death as a “profound and preventable tragedy” and warned that whistleblowers had to believe they would be treated properly, protected and taken seriously.
The FCA has appointed board member Lea Paterson, a non-executive director, to review how it dealt with Mr Andriesz and identify any lessons for the future.
At an FCA public meeting, Mr Agathangelou called for chairman Ashley Alder to resign, saying he was incapable of protecting the regulator’s “reputational integrity”.
In a statement, the FCA said: “We are very sorry to hear of Mr Andriesz’s death. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
A friend, John Robertson, has established a fundraising appeal with a target of £35,000 to support Mr Andriesz’s son with his education, welfare and future opportunities.
Anyone affected by the story can contact Samaritans free on 116 123.
