AIB denies it sacked worker for ‘whistle-blowing’

ALLIED Irish Bank has insisted it fired a self-declared whistle-blower for accessing the private bank accounts of his colleagues without authorisation.

Lawyers for AIB told a hearing of the Employment Appeals Tribunal in Dublin yesterday that Brian Purcell, a junior manager in its capital market division, was dismissed as a result of the findings of three separate disciplinary proceedings.

They rejected claims that he was sacked because he had highlighted irregularities in the bank’s internal accounting system through its confidential whistle-blowing “Speak Up” process.