A banker from the United States of America named Szabolcs Fekete lost his lawsuit against Citibank for buying lunch for him and his date and then lying about it. Read Full Article...
He had fraudulently claimed that he and his companion had two coffees, two sandwiches, and two pastas when he was sacked in 2022 for major misbehavior. Additionally, he asserted that the bank had mistreated him.
Fekete claimed that he had devoured two sandwiches, two cups of coffee, and two pasta dinners on his own while in Amsterdam for business. But he then admitted that he and his partner had shared some meals.
Fekete, a financial crime analyst at the bank for seven years, visited Amsterdam from July 3 to July 5 for professional purposes.
He felt the bank's daily allotment of €100 (£86.70) would cover his expenses for food and drink when he returned to London, so he submitted an expense report for those items.
However, the employer to whom he submitted his claim questioned whether he had actually consumed all of the food and beverages for which he was requesting payment.
"Because they were so small, I drank two coffees while on a work trip alone.
I missed breakfast that day and only drank one coffee in the morning. I had one sandwich, a drink, and a coffee for lunch at the restaurant. I then brought another coffee with me to the office before having the second sandwich, which doubled as my dinner, in the afternoon.
My entire daily budget of €100 is covered. Fekete responded in an email conversation that was cited in the employment tribunal's judgment, "I don't think I need to justify my eating habits to this extent. Could you kindly explain what your problem is.
After receiving a complaint regarding the occurrence, the bank's security and investigations services department fired Fekete. Fekete sued the bank, claiming that she had been fired in an unfair and illegal manner.
The Employment Judge, Caroline Illing, rendered a decision in Citibank's favor.
"I've learned that the money at stake in this lawsuit is not the main factor. In this case, the claimant's activities after submitting the expense claim are in question.
"It is significant that the claimant did not at the first opportunity make a full and frank disclosure and that he did not directly respond to questions."
"The claimant had a position of trust with a global financial institution.
"I am sure that the claimant was required to admit the error and make adjustments as soon as practicable, even if the expense claim had been lodged incorrectly. Judge Illing observed, "I accept that the Respondent expects honesty from its employees.
In response to the judgment, a bank representative stated, "We are happy with the result.
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