SFO investigator claims unfair dismissal over pub swearing at FBI agent

THE Serious Fraud Office (SFO) faces a claim for unfair dismissal from the former lead investigator on one of its biggest inquiries, amid allegations of “gross misconduct” in a pub.

Tom Martin was sacked in December after he was accused of swearing at an FBI agent in 2016 at the US embassy and a pub. He had been senior case controller in charge of the investigation of Monacobased consultancy Unaoil over bribery allegations. Mr Martin is now taking the SFO to court over his dismissal, The Financial Times first reported.

According to the claim, filed in May, his departure was related to an outing with officials from the US Department of Justice in 2016. It is alleged Mr Martin used expletives and called a member of the FBI a spy and/or “quisling”.

Mr Martin claims that his behaviour “was not such as would justify the termination of his employment” and his sacking was unfair and unreasonable as the claims were discharged in an internal probe. He was later accused of misrepresenting the facts. “Strong language was commonly used by criminal lawyers and partner agencies and that members of the Department of Justice themselves used very robust language: in essence it was part of the culture,” he reportedly claims.

Mr Martin, who previously worked for the Financial Reporting Council, was in charge of the SFO’S three-year probe into Unaoil until September when he was replaced, according to the documents. He then was dismissed by the SFO in December following an internal disciplinary hearing.

The case led to an investigation into Unaoil and four individuals over payments made to secure a $733m (£574m) pipeline construction project in Iraq.

The investigation was cancelled in June and no charges were brought.

The SFO declined to comment.