Banker who got into double trouble for claiming 2 meals on expenses loses UK lawsuit over firing

LONDON (AP) — A financial analyst who was fired by Citibank after claiming a two-sandwich lunch on expenses has lost a legal battle for wrongful dismissal.

A British judge has ruled that the bank was entitled to sack Szabolcs Fekete for gross misconduct because he lied when he claimed to have consumed two sandwiches, two coffees and two pasta dishes during a work trip, when he had really shared them with his partner.

Fekete, a financial crime expert working for the bank in London, sued for wrongful and unfair dismissal.

When the company queried his expenses for a July 2022 business trip to Amsterdam, Fekete emailed: “I was on the business trip by myself and that I had 2 coffees as they were very small.” He said he ate one sandwich for lunch “and had the second sandwich in the afternoon… which also served as my dinner.”