Former banker claims £14 million in Employment Tribunal for sex discrimination

A female former banker at a Russian bank has told an Employment Tribunal that she should receive millions of pounds in compensation after she was discriminated against.

Svetlana Lokhova told the London Central Employment Tribunal that she should receive £14 million to compensate her for her loss of earnings and injury to feelings after Russian bank Sberbank CIB (UK) Ltd was found liable by the Employment Tribunal for direct sex discrimination and gender-related harassment.

Ms Lokhova won her claims in the Employment Tribunal after the Tribunal heard that colleagues referred to her as “mad Svetlana”, “crazy Miss Cokehead” and was branded “crazy, mental, totally unstable, quite likely clinically bonkers” and “a major car crash”. The Tribunal also found that Ms Lokhova’s line manager, Mr David Longmuir, should have been fired by the bank for gross misconduct after he made a series of “offensive, derogatory… and personal” comments behind her back.

Ms Lokhova’s claim returned to the Employment Tribunal this month for a “remedies hearing”. Ms Lokhova told the Employment Tribunal that her tribunal case had ruined her reputation in the banking industry and meant that she would never work in finance again. She stated that the only alternative career that she could pursue was a career in academia, which did not pay as well as a career in finance.

The former Cambridge graduate also stated: “I am completely broken down and exhausted by the respondent’s campaign against me. I endured six months of abuse at work and almost three years of highly acrimonious litigation which has had a profound aspect on every part of my life.”

She went on to state that she had not received an apology from the bank and that, despite the Employment Tribunal finding that Mr Longmuir should have been fired for his conduct towards Ms Lokhova, he was not dismissed but left the bank under a compromise agreement. She stated that this was “unacceptable” and supported her claim for compensation.

Chris Hadrill, an employment solicitor at Redmans Solicitors, commented on the case: In well-remunerated industries such as finance, law or medicine Employment Tribunal awards for discrimination or whistleblowing cases can be huge as, unlike unfair dismissal cases, there is no cap on the compensation that can be received. Ms Lokhova is claiming millions in compensation for loss of earnings, injury to feelings and personal injury as a result of the discrimination.”

A judgment by the Employment Tribunal is expected next month.