Potentially explosive emails between Barclays boss Jes Staley and notorious convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein are being sought by a top lawyer who represents his victims. The messages – which date from when Mr Staley worked for JP Morgan and Epstein was one of his biggest clients – are in possession of regulators at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and are likely to shed new light on the extent of their relationship. On Friday night, civil rights lawyer Lisa Bloom said she would ask for copies of the emails, which could prove highly embarrassing for Barclays if they are ever made public. Ms Bloom, who represents five Epstein victims, said: “We are highly interested in all aspects of Jeffrey Epstein"s financial dealings, as many have reported improprieties. That would include his banking interests.” Mr Staley was pitched into the spotlight this week after Barclays announced regulators were investigating whether the bank’s chief executive gave a proper explanation of his ties with Epstein, a billionaire sex offender who was found dead in a prison cell in August. The American banker said on Thursday that he "deeply regrets" his relationship with Epstein, which ended shortly before he took over at Barclays in December 2015. City watchdogs opened the probe after receiving a cache of emails from US regulators, who were reportedly handed the documents by Mr Staley"s former employer JP Morgan. The emails suggest the pair’s relationship was friendlier than claimed, sources told The Financial Times. JP Morgan and Barclays declined to comment. Tory MP and banking campaigner Kevin Hollinrake called for the emails to be made public. He said: "It is important that the full details and nature of the relationship is now disclosed. As such, any correspondence between the two should be published." The FCA could choose to publish parts of the emails itself in a summary of its decision if Mr Staley is found to have broken any rules. A spokesman declined to comment. After the Treasury Select Committee is reformed for this Parliament, it could also use its powers to request the correspondence and then make it public. It is understood that Barclays does not intend to publish the documents. Earlier this week Ms Bloom said it was "imperative" that each of Epstein"s powerful friends, including Mr Staley, now "cooperate with law enforcement so that the victims can get justice". The Barclays boss should also comply with any request for answers from the FBI and go to the US for questioning if asked, she added. There is no suggestion that Mr Staley has committed a crime, and he has insisted he was open and transparent about the nature of his relationship with the sex offender. The banker visited Epstein while he was serving time for soliciting underage girls, and reportedly went to his Caribbean island for a four-hour lunch just eight months before taking charge of Barclays in 2015. The investigation – the second faced by Mr Staley in his Barclays tenure after a previous £642,000 fine for attempting to unmask a whistleblower – has left the boss fighting for his credibility. It also emerged on Friday that at least one of Mr Staley’s other appointments has been reviewed. He is a member of several boards including the trustees of Bowdoin College, a private liberal arts college where he once studied in Brunswick, Maine. A spokesman for Bowdoin said its governance committee conducted a thorough review of Mr Staley in autumn last year and concluded there was nothing in his actions or behaviour that warranted any action. The spokesman added: “If any new information comes to light as a result of the Financial Conduct Authority investigation, the board will consider it at that time,” . Mr Staley is also on the boards of the Institute of International Finance, a global industry body, and the Bank Policy Institute, a representative body for the US’s biggest banks. Both organisations declined to comment. The 63-year-old has been backed by Barclays, which dropped its sponsorship of Prince Andrew’s Pitch@Palace business mentoring scheme in November after backlash over a car-crash BBC interview exploring the royal’s friendship with Epstein and allegations of sexual misconduct against him. Former Barclays" chairman John McFarlane, who stood down from the 328-year-old bank last year, leapt to his former colleague"s defence on Thursday, describing the situation as "unfortunate". He said: "While it does appear that a business relationship had existed, honestly, I simply cannot imagine Jes knowingly having been involved in anything untoward." One major Barclays shareholder also said that he does not think the bank should "pull the trigger" on Mr Staley"s role at this stage. Shares in the bank fell a further 0.4pc on Friday to 175.7p, adding to their slide on Thursday after the probe was announced.