Barclays Chairman Marcus Agius resigns over rate-rigging "We will establish a zero-tolerance policy for any actions that harm the reputation of the bank," the bank said in a statement. The silver-haired 65-year-old, a former investment banker at Lazard who was paid a salary of £750,000 a year at Barclays, said: "I am truly sorry that our customers, clients, employees and shareholders have been let down. Barclays is full of hard working, talented individuals whose integrity is not in question. Mr Agius, who had been planning to retire next year, will remain in post until an orderly succession is assured. Sir Mike Rake, chairman of BT an easyJet and Barclays" senior independent director, has been appointed Deputy Chairman. Non-executive director Sir John Sunderland, a former chairman of Cadbury's, will lead the search for his successor. Mr Agius's departure comes amid evidence Mr Diamond personally spoke to the deputy governor of the Bank of England, Paul Tucker, about how much Barclays was claiming it had to pay to borrow money during the financial crisis in 2008. After the conversation, Barclays staff came to believe the Bank wanted them to falsify data used to calculate Libor, the interest rate that banks use to pay each other. The bank's traders then escalated their secret attempts to manipulate the markets and make it appear that the bank was paying less to borrow money than was actually the case, documents show. Last night sources at both banks insisted this was the result of a "misunderstanding." They insisted that Mr Tucker had not sanctioned Barclays" actions. Shareholders, politicians and the public have been dismayed by the latest evidence of abuse within Britain's financial industry and are clamouring for action. At least two of Barclays" leading shareholders have criticised management. Over the weekend, Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, urged investors to "get a stronger grip" and kick out bad directors in the wake of what he called "systemic abuse" at Barclays. Lord Turner, chairman of the Financial Services Authority (FSA), said the scandal had been a "huge shock to the reputation of the banking industry" and that it had "justifiably angered people." Mr Agius is due to appear before the Treasury Select Committee to answer questions on the rate-fixing scandal on Thursday, the day after Mr Diamond is scheduled to be quizzed by MPs. News of Mr Agius's departure came as it emerged that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the 14 Barclays traders at the heart of the rate scandal.