An unfair dismissal appeal by a former AIB employee and whistleblower has begun at the Employment Appeals Tribunal.
Counsel for 38-year-old Brian Purcell told the Tribunal that his client was a marked man after his identity as a whistleblower was revealed in the bank.
Michael Forde SC said the first opportunity to dismiss Brian Purcell was used by AIB.
In February 2008 Mr. Purcell had used the bank's whistleblower procedure to alert it to non-fraudulent irregularities in internal accounting. The following month he did not get paid a bonus.
Counsel admitted that Mr Purcell then accessed the private bank accounts of nine colleagues to see if they were paid bonuses.
Mairead McKenna BL for the bank told the Tribunal this was a flagrant breach of trust and bank rules. She said Mr Purcell's dismissal came after a number of enquiries within the bank and was a reasonable response from AIB.
She pointed out that Mr Purcell was one of only six employees who had open access to every bank account. Ms McKenna said he received no bonus because he was not performing well and that bonuses were allocated in advance of Mr Purcell's whistleblower complaint. The appeal has concluded for today and will resume for three days beginning on August 31.
