Citibank banker fired for expensing two sandwiches

Citibank analyst dismissed after claiming for two sandwiches, two coffees and two pasta dishes on work trip to Amsterdam

A banking analyst who was sacked after claiming two sandwiches on his expenses has lost his legal battle for unfair dismissal.

Szabolcs Fekete was fired by international firm Citibank after claiming to have eaten two sandwiches, two coffees and two pasta dishes on a work trip to Amsterdam.

Mr Fekete, a financial crime expert working in London, denied buying the items for his partner.

He said he bought two coffees because they were “small” and that the second sandwich was intended to serve as his “dinner” after eating the first one for lunch.

But the bank didn’t believe his explanation and launched an investigation.

Mr Fekete noted that the amounts were “well within” the bank’s 100 euro (£87) daily expense limit and said: “I don’t think I have to justify my eating habits to this extent.”

The analyst later admitted that his partner, who didn’t work for Citibank, had traveled with him but continued to claim he ate all the food himself.

Fekete later claimed he had been undergoing personal problems after the death of his grandmother, was on medical leave from work and was on medication while he was answering emailed questions about his expenses claim.

Szabolcs Fekete denied buying the items for his partner (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Following a hearing in September, employment judge Caroline Illing ruled in favor of the employer, saying the issue was not “the sums of money involved,” but about Mr Fekete’s failure to “make a full and frank disclosure.”

The judge said Citibank “requires a commitment to honesty from its employees.”

“I have accepted that the expense report may have been submitted in error,” the judge said.

“However, I am satisfied that a dismissal in relation to the misrepresentation allegation alone would fall within the band of a reasonable response by a reasonable employer.”

The judgment was dated 19 Sept but first reported by the Financial Times on Monday.

Additional reporting by agencies