Citibank Fires Analyst Over His Deceptive Lunch

A Citibank analyst who investigated financial fraud has lost his job over his own financial fraud—though it was surprisingly small-scale stuff. It seems that Szabolcs Fekete of London went to Amsterdam on a work trip and treated his partner to lunch on the company dime, reports the BBC. When he submitted the expense report for his two sandwiches, two coffees, and one more drink, his manager questioned whether he had consumed it all himself. Yep, replied Fekete, who sounded a little irked in his emailed response: "All my expenses are within the €100 [$105] daily allowance," he wrote. "Could you please outline what your concern is as I don't think I have to justify my eating habits to this extent."

The manager then referred the matter up the chain, reports the Financial Times, and Fekete eventually admitted he'd lied. Citibank fired him, saying it was more a matter of principle than of dollars and cents, and Fekete sued for unjust termination. Among other things, he said he was on medication when he initially responded. However, a London employment tribunal has just sided with the bank. "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," the ruling states, per the BBC. (More Citibank stories.)