Accused of Fraud at Work: How Should My Friend Defend Himself After Years of Service?

Hi all, this article is basically regarding my friend. He was working in a BPO for close to 6 years. One day, he was suddenly called and asked about the routine work that he did a couple of years back. They are into financial transactions, and one of the customer's accounts was activated by my friend on a day and closed the next day. Between the account reopening and closing, some fraud happened of which my friend is not aware, resulting in a loss to his company. This incident occurred a couple of years ago, and he was suspended, suspected of being involved in the fraud.

After a few months, he received a letter stating that he was involved in fraud, whereas my friend denies it. Please suggest some options he has as a humble worker for a considerable amount of time in one company. What should be his stance in such a scenario?

Thanks a lot.

Regards, JustD0It

Professional Hazards and Natural Justice

Welcome to CiteHR.com! What has happened with your friend can be called a 'professional hazard,' and what needs to be done is to ascertain and ensure that 'principles of natural justice' are being followed by the company. Your friend is entitled to get an opportunity to represent himself in the departmental enquiry, for subsistence allowance during prolonged suspension, etc. His stand should be of being truthful about the incident and not to be intimidated.

Warm regards.

Thank you, Raj, for your insights. I recently discussed this issue with him. He mentioned that he wasn't given the opportunity to clarify his position. Instead, he received a charge sheet listing the allegations against him. After responding to the charges, he was promptly terminated. Understandably, he is now feeling very confused. After dedicating a significant amount of time to the company, being treated in this manner is something he never anticipated. Moreover, apart from the charge sheet, he was never presented with any evidence linking him to any fraudulent activities. Could you please provide some suggestions for his next steps?

Thank you once again for your assistance. I look forward to your response.

Regards,
JustD0It