Britain's FCA charges ex-Jefferies employee, friend with insider dealing

LONDON (Reuters) -A former employee of investment bank Jefferies International appeared in a London court on Wednesday charged with insider dealing relating to a potential takeover, Britain's financial regulator said.

The Financial Conduct Authority said Bobosher Sharipov, who worked at Jefferies and advised GCP Student Living, is accused of leaking confidential information about the deal to former colleague Bekzod Avazov in 2021.

The FCA said Avazov then placed trades that generated a profit of almost 70,000 pounds ($92,449.00). The regulator added that Avazov's trades were identified as suspicious, with analysis of public records also showing Sharipov and Avazov had lived together.

Sharipov, 43, and Avazov, 43, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court and did not indicate a plea to a charge of insider dealing, the FCA said.

Jefferies did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The FCA said Jefferies had "co-operated fully with the FCA's investigation".

($1 = 0.7572 pounds)

(Reporting by Shanima A in Bengaluru and Sam Tobin in London; Editing by Tasim Zahid and Sharon Singleton)