Jamie Dimon, the chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, will face questioning over the bank’s relationship with notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

The bank is facing lawsuits seeking damages by women who claim that Epstein abused them and by the US Virgin Islands where Epstein had a home. In a separate case, JPMorgan is suing its former private banking chief Jes Staley over allegations that he concealed what he knew about Epstein and arguing that he should cover any losses it may incur in the lawsuits it is facing.

With all this ongoing, US District Judge Jed Rakoff on Tuesday ordered Dimon to set aside two days for depositions. The executive can be questioned by the plaintiffs’ lawyers for five hours and by Staley’s lawyer for two hours. The judge may allow more time if requested by any party.

Epstein was a long-term client of the bank from 2000 to 2013, with the bank retaining him as a customer after the felon pled guilty to a charge of prostitution in 2008. Court papers accuse JPMorgan of knowing that Epstein paid cash to underage girls from as early as 2006, and that it ignored several internal warnings to cut ties.

This all happened under the watch of Dimon, who joined JPMorgan in 2004 and became chief executive officer in December 2005. Dimon however has not been accused of wrongdoing, with most of the blame being pinned on Staley, who would go on to serve as chief exec at Barclays from 2015 to 2021. Staley has since said he regretted his closeness with Epstein, who died of an apparent suicide in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial in August 2019.

In a statement, JP Morgan said: "The plaintiffs' counsel know our CEO has no relevant knowledge, but persist with this media stunt. A review of more than two decades of emails and other documents makes it clear that he had no involvement with Epstein or his accounts. He does not recall ever meeting, speaking or communicating with him."

A trial is set for 23 October.

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