A software engineer who alleged he was unfairly sacked after uncovering a fraud cover-up has seen his case thrown out of an employment tribunal after he started eating a full meal during the proceedings.
The Whistleblower's Claims
Artiom Borisov claimed he was unfairly dismissed from multinational finance company American International Group (AIG) for what they termed 'aggressive behaviour' and 'not following instructions'. However, Mr Borisov maintained he was actually fired because he had discovered that the company's government reinsurance scheme was fraudulent, representing a misuse of public funds.
He further alleged the scheme had led to data breaches. While AIG investigated these fraud and data-breach allegations, the company concluded there had been no wrongdoing. Mr Borisov stated he 'did not agree with the conclusion and alleged cover-up', leading him to bring his case before an employment tribunal.
A 'Circus' and a Full Meal
The case took a dramatic turn midway through the hearing when Mr Borisov began eating a full meal. When challenged by Employment Judge Richard Nicolle, he reportedly asked, 'why should I trust the process, why should I trust the judge?'
Mr Borisov explained his actions by saying he believed the judge was against him and described the entire tribunal as a 'circus' and a 'scam'.
Judge Nicolle did not take this behaviour lightly. He stated that while he might have been indulgent about a cup of coffee or a chocolate bar, eating a meal was 'very blatant'. He described the act as a 'flagrant show of disrespect' towards the tribunal and its process.
History of Similar Allegations
This was not the first time Mr Borisov had taken a former employer to a tribunal. In 2019, he brought a case against insurance giant Zurich, claiming he had been dismissed after 'exposing a multi-million-pound fraud' related to a new IT project called UW 360.
He alleged that after alerting the company's fraud prevention unit, his claims were not properly investigated, and he was subsequently intimidated, cut off from IT systems, and dismissed. Zurich countered that he was fired for ignoring management orders not to contact underwriters about the project.
An internal investigation by Zurich, which took over 40 days, found no evidence of fraud. That case was also thrown out, and Mr Borisov was ordered to pay £445.20 in costs.
The Final Judgment
In the recent case against AIG, Judge Nicolle concluded that Mr Borisov's conduct was 'scandalous, unreasonable or vexatious'. He noted that the developer had repeatedly made serious allegations about the tribunal's integrity, calling it a sham and a circus, primarily because he disagreed with the judge's decision to refuse his application for witness orders.
The judge stated that continuing with the case would be a 'waste of his time and the Tribunal's time', and therefore dismissed it entirely. This marks another unsuccessful legal chapter for the developer who believed he was acting as a whistleblower.
