Citibank, a major banking corporation, successfully defended an employment lawsuit against former analyst Szabolcs Fekete. Fekete had been terminated for dishonestly claiming expenses for food and beverages for his partner during a business trip and providing misleading information to the bank.
According to a report from Insider, Fekete initially stated that he consumed the claimed items—a total of two sandwiches, two pasta dishes, and two coffees—alone during a business trip to Amsterdam. However, he later admitted that his partner had shared some of the food.
In an email conversation with his supervisor, Fekete maintained that he had “checked the receipt and did not see anything out of order… I was on the business trip by myself and I had 2 coffees as they were very small.”
However, his senior manager pointed out discrepancies in the receipt, prompting further inquiry.
“Appears to have two sandwiches, two coffees, and another drink… Are you advising that this was all consumed by you?” Fekete’s senior manager responded.
Fekete argued that all the expenses were within Citibank’s daily spending allowance and contended that he shouldn’t have to justify his eating habits to such an extent. The bank also questioned whether he had shared dinners with his partner, which Fekete initially denied but later admitted to.
Despite claiming mitigating circumstances such as the recent loss of his grandmother and being on strong medication during the email exchanges, Fekete was ultimately dismissed by the bank.
Judge Illing, overseeing the case, concluded that his dismissal was fair, as Fekete was not initially honest about the misclaimed expense.
“In considering the substantial merits of this case, I have found that this case is not about the sums of money involved,” he said.
“It is significant that the claimant did not make a full and frank disclosure at the first opportunity and that he did not answer questions directly.”
