Dublin Hotel Claims Employee Misappropriated Nearly €600K in ‘Very Elaborate Fraud’

A four-star hotel in Dublin has accused an employee of orchestrating a “very elaborate fraud,” resulting in the misappropriation of €597,000 in payments.

The Address Connolly, previously known as The North Star Hotel, sought urgent orders from the High Court to prevent the employee, Andja (also known as Anda) Gulic Pejovic, and her husband from dissipating their assets below €582,000.

Hotel director Brian McGettigan revealed in legal documents that Pejovic, employed since 2016, allegedly generated 152 fraudulent payments directed to two Revolut bank accounts in Lithuania and one in Ireland, as well as her own Bank of Ireland account.

These payments, purportedly made to various suppliers or employees since April 2022, were described by McGettigan as the “dishonest appropriation of the assets of the plaintiff.”

In addition to the financial fraud, McGettigan claimed there were “serious data breaches” and a forged Dubai tenancy agreement attributed to Pejovic. He noted that she began her career as a junior accounts assistant in June 2016 and progressed to accounts assistant at The North Star Hotel in 2019. Pejovic has been on maternity leave since June and is believed to be in Croatia, although she usually resides in Ireland.

Four-star Dublin hotel alleges employee misappropriated nearly €600k in ‘very elaborate fraud’

The alleged fraud came to light when a supplier sought payment of €7,800, which the hotel believed had already been settled. Upon discovering discrepancies in bank details, the hotel’s accounts team reviewed payments, revealing three Revolut accounts involved in transactions meant for several suppliers.

The hotel engaged Barry Robinson, head of BDO’s forensic services team in Ireland to investigate further. Robinson’s analysis uncovered 152 fraudulent payments totalling €596,997.

He also found that Pejovic had sent numerous emails, including payroll and procurement database copies, to her husband, Dusan Pejovic, the second defendant in the case. These data breaches have been reported to Ireland’s data protection watchdog.

In court, barrister Frank Kennedy characterised the situation as a “very elaborate fraud” and expressed concern that the extent of the dishonesty could lead to asset dissipation. Justice Brian Cregan issued temporary orders to prevent the defendants from dissipating their assets below €582,000, with the case scheduled to return to court on Wednesday. The Pejovics will have the opportunity to respond to the claims and request an earlier court date to challenge the orders.