The controversy over Barclays’ efforts to avoid a government bailout during the 2008 crisis will return to the spotlight on Monday when the bank fights a £50 million fine over allegedly secret payments it made to Qatari investors.
The FTSE 100 bank is challenging the Financial Conduct Authority in court over the regulator’s provisional decision two years ago to levy a penalty on Barclays for “reckless” conduct. The case, which is being heard in the Upper Tribunal, is slated to last three weeks and John Varley, 68, the former Barclays chief executive who led the bank through the financial crisis, is due to appear as a witness for the lender.
It is the latest in a string of courtroom battles over actions that Barclays took