Former Goldman banker and Och-Ziff partner set up new hedge fund

(Refiled to correct syntax in third paragraph)

LONDON, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Top Goldman Sachs hedge fund expert William Douglas has left the bank to launch a European credit hedge fund called Caius Capital with former Och-Ziff Capital Management portfolio manager Antonio Batista, four sources familiar with the matter said.

As head of Goldman's hedge fund consulting business for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Douglas helped develop new funds in the region.

At Caius, which will have a focus on distressed credit, Douglas will be chief operating officer, the sources said, while Batista will be chief investment officer.

Batista, 11 years at Och-Ziff, was a partner in the London office from 2012 and a portfolio manager investing in distressed credit until he left in 2015, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Batista had previously worked at Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS-PB - news) in the mergers and acquisitions department, and as a fixed income analyst, his profile showed.

Och-Ziff declined to comment when contacted by Reuters and Batista was not immediately available for comment. (Reporting by Maiya Keidan and Simon Jessop; Editing by Greg Mahlich)