EU ombudsman questions ethics of Barroso's Goldman Sachs appointment

Former European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso's appointment to the board at US investment bank Goldman Sachs is to be looked into following widespread concerns, according to EU ombudsman Emily O'Reilly.

Barroso was hired by Goldman as the bank attempts to negotiate the effects of Britain's impending exit from the EU, but the decision has faced criticism, with staff from the bloc launching a petition against the appointment.

O'Reilly expressed her concerns in a letter to Barroso's successor Jean-Claude Juncker, in which she said that the case had received "understandable international attention given the importance of his former role and the global power, influence, and history of the bank with which he is now connected."

The petition calling for action against the former leader of Portugal, Barroso, gathered over 120,000 signatures and recommended the withdrawal of his pension during his time at Goldman.

The United Kingdom and the European Union are preparing for complex negotiations concerning the former's departure from the European bloc, which will begin once prime minister Theresa May invokes Article 50.

"Public unease will be exacerbated by the fact that Mr Barroso has publicly stated that he will be advising on the UK's decision to leave the EU," O'Reilly added.

The role of the ombudsman within the EU is to investigate claims of malpractice by commissioners and those taking key decisions in the body.

Goldman have defended the hiring of Barroso through a spokesperson.

The bank said that the decision "had nothing to do with the outcome of the Brexit vote. Indeed, we began our discussions at a time when the prevailing view was that the remain campaign would succeed, an outcome we would have preferred and publicly supported."