Szabolcs Fekete’s termination stemmed from a dispute over expense reports during a business trip.
In a recent development, Szabolcs Fekete, a former Citigroup analyst based in London, had his wrongful dismissal claim rejected by Employment Judge Caroline Illing
During a work assignment in Amsterdam in July 2022, Szabolcs Fekete ordered two sandwiches, two coffees, and two servings of pasta. Regrettably, he claimed all items were for his consumption, though in reality, they were intended for both himself and his partner. When questioned about these expenses, Szabolcs Fekete justified the discrepancy by explaining that he was alone on the trip and felt no need to elaborate on his dining choices.
Citigroup’s expense policy expressly demands employees to accurately list attendees for meals submitted for reimbursement, while also prohibiting the expensing of meals for employees’ partners
Consequently, the bank terminated Szabolcs Fekete’s employment. Despite Szabolcs Fekete’s subsequent legal action, Judge Illing sided with Citigroup, underlining the company’s fundamental requirement of honesty from its employees. She affirmed that the dismissal solely on the grounds of misrepresentation was a justifiable response within the bounds of reasonable employer conduct.
A representative from Citibank expressed contentment with the judge’s decision. It is noteworthy that Citigroup’s stock performance had seen a decline of approximately 6.7% over the past year as of Tuesday afternoon.
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