A former head of Honda Racing Operations has lost an employment tribunal claim for unfair dismissal after being fired for failing to report overpayments totaling £160,000 into his bank account. Havier Beltran was mistakenly paid double for expenses over a five-month period between April and September 2025.
An employment judge found that Beltran made a "deliberate and sustained choice" not to inform his employers about the erroneous payments, deeming his conduct to be gross misconduct. Beltran had claimed he intended to return the money and had moved it to a separate account for safekeeping, but admitted he should have reported the issue sooner.
The overpayments came to light in August 2025 when the company's HR manager identified that Beltran was being paid twice for the same expenses via his company card, in addition to direct payments. There is no suggestion that Beltran was responsible for the initial reason for the payments, which stemmed from him canceling a compromised company credit card.
When confronted, Beltran reportedly expressed no surprise at the overpayments and stated he could repay the full amount. He admitted to realizing the error in July 2025 and acknowledged seeing large sums of money being deposited into his account. He maintained that he transferred the funds to a private account to safeguard them and was too busy to inform anyone, denying he was waiting to see if the company would notice.
Following an investigation and disciplinary hearing, Beltran was dismissed in September 2025 for gross misconduct, specifically citing dishonesty. The company stated that his "lack of candour and dishonesty" had irreparably damaged trust and confidence.
Prior to the disciplinary proceedings, Beltran's ex-wife had contacted Honda's head of racing, describing him as an "honourable and honest man" who had dedicated his life to the company. Beltran began his career with Honda as a contractor in 1989 and became an employee in 2005, ultimately serving as Head of Racing Operations at Honda Racing Europe.
After his internal appeal was rejected, Beltran took his case to an employment tribunal in Lincoln. Employment Judge Muhammed Siddique dismissed his claims, noting that while Beltran was not at fault for the initial incorrect payments, his failure to notify the company about the money and his subsequent retention of it was dishonest. The judge found it not credible that Beltran's silence was due to mere oversight or being busy, describing it as a "deliberate act not to notify over a sustained period."
Judge Siddique stated that employers are reasonable in expecting employees to act honestly and report significant errors, especially when the error could result in personal financial gain at the employer's expense. The tribunal concluded that Honda's investigation was fair and reasonable, and that Beltran's dishonest conduct was sufficiently grave to justify summary dismissal, notwithstanding his long tenure and previously unblemished record.