Guess he should have brown-bagged it that day.
A Citigroup financial analyst lost his wrongful dismissal case after he was terminated for gross misconduct connected to an expense report for food, according to the Associated Press.
Initially, Szabolcs Fekete claimed he consumed a two-person meal during a business trip in July 2022. The London-based former analyst reported eating two sandwiches, two pasta dishes, and two coffees during a business trip to Amsterdam.
In response to his email, Fekete’s senior manager inquired about the items on the receipt, “Appears to have two sandwiches, two coffees, and another drink. “Are you advising that this was all consumed by you?”
“I was on the business trip by myself, and I had two coffees as they were very small,” Fekete claimed he had reviewed the receipt and found nothing amiss.
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The Citigroup employee insisted that he did and that all his expenses adhered to Citibank’s daily spending limits.
The organization raised questions about two dinners, pesto pasta and pasta Bolognese, wondering if Fekete had shared them with his partner. At first, he denied the allegation. However, Fekete confessed to sharing the expensed food with his partner, leading to his termination.
Fekete argued there were mitigating circumstances, including the recent death of his grandmother and being under the influence of strong medication when he responded to the emails.
Judge Caroline Illing determined that the dismissal was justified because Fekete lied about the expensed meals. She emphasized that the case wasn’t solely about the money but more about Fekete’s failure to candidly disclose the actual events that happened involving his partner.
A Citibank spokesperson expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision.
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