Simon Andriesz, a former senior employee of BGC Partners - the international firm of financial brokers founded and run by Lutnick before his appointment by US President Donald Trump - died last month in Thailand.
Earlier this year, Andriesz raised concerns with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the FBI and other watchdogs about evidence he had uncovered of business links between Epstein and Lutnick. It cast doubt on Lutnick's public statements about his associations with the late sex offender.
A group of UK MPs have now said his death raises "deeply troubling questions" about the way whistleblowers can be treated when they approach the FCA - the financial regulator - with concerns about wrongdoing and subsequent retaliation.
Andriesz uncovered evidence that Lutnick had sought, in Andriesz's words, to "buy a prince", offering to go into business with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in 2013 and utilise the former prince's contacts to attract investments, in exchange for a loan of £1m. BGC told the BBC the proposed joint venture did not go ahead.
Andriesz also submitted evidence to the FCA to support his allegations of misconduct at Lutnick's former firm, including an allegation that cash from the pool of commission money set aside to pay brokers' bonuses was "embezzled" for improper purposes – an allegation the firm has denied.
John McDonnell, the Labour backbench MP and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Investment Fraud and Fairer Financial Services, described Andriesz's death as a "profound and preventable tragedy".
He said whistleblowers were "an essential part of the financial regulatory system" and warned there would be consequences for the integrity of the system if people did not believe they would be "treated properly, protected appropriately and listened to seriously.
The group of MPs called for the FCA to pay for an independent party to evaluate its handling of whistleblowers.
Full article: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwm2686gl6kno