Bank boss quits after breaking rules to watch Wimbledon final
He watched Novak Djokovic win Wimbledon when he should have been isolating.
The chairman of global banking giant Credit Suisse has stepped down after breaking Covid rules in two countries.
Sir Antonio Horta-Osorio, 57, resigned after less than 12 months in the job following a probe commissioned by the bank’s own board.
Last July, Sir Antonio watched Djokovic win the Wimbledon final having recently arrived from Switzerland.
Switzerland was on the UK’s amber list at the time, so Sir Antonio should have been in quarantine.
His bank also revealed he broke Covid rules when flying into Switzerland on November 28 before leaving on December 1, rather than isolating for a mandatory ten days upon arrival.
The Portuguese-born banker said: ‘I regret that a number of my personal actions have led to difficulties for the bank and compromised my ability to represent the bank internally and externally.
‘I therefore believe that my resignation is in the interest of the bank and its stakeholders at this crucial time.’
He has been replaced as chairman by board member Axel Lehmann.
Sir Antonio, who has British citizenship, was made a knight in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list last year for his services to the financial sector, as well as his voluntary work for mental healthcare and culture.
He led Santander’s UK arm before taking over at Lloyds and steered it back into private ownership after its £20.3billion taxpayer bailout at the height of the 2008 financial crisis.
He left Lloyds in April and was brought into Credit Suisse to help correct its course after problems with the now defunct Archegos and Greensill Capital.
In 2020, Credit Suisse’s chief executive Tidjane Thiam resigned amid a spying scandal at the bank.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE : MP had to be ‘reminded of the rules’ over ‘gathering’ just weeks after BYOB party
MORE : Boris Johnson could announce update on Plan B Covid rules this week
MORE : Carrie Johnson caught breaking Covid rules at West End club