A woman has pleaded guilty to embezzling almost £70,000 from the oil firm where she worked.
Melanie Fraser worked at HRH Limited, which has its HQ in Bridge of Don, for 15 years.
She appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday where she admitted embezzling £69,539 from the firm, where she worked in the accounts department.
The offence was committed between August 1, 2010 and November 1, 2012.
The court heard that discrepancies were discovered by an employee when Fraser, 37, went on holiday to Florida for two weeks in October 2012.
Fiscal depute Anne Macdonald said: “The accused returned to work and at that stage the company were suspicious that things were not right in the accounts department and Fraser was advised she was being suspended.”
Fraser, whose address was given in court as 10 Whitehills Drive, Ellon, later handed in her notice, the court heard.
Fraser then phoned her bosses to apologise and offered to explain her actions.
She claimed she thought she had taken in the region of £20,000 after running up credit card debt.
Fraser claimed she had borrowed money from her father to pay off the credit cards, while using the money from the company to pay back her father.
The court heard that when Fraser admitted to taking the money she claimed it was because she had run into debt.
An investigation found that petty cash cheques had been wrongly assigned to a number of suppliers and that fictitious invoices had been used to clear cash amounts.
Sheriff William Summers told Fraser: “You have pleaded guilty to a serious charge.
“It seems to me that it is inevitable that custody will be imposed in due course.”
Fraser will return to court next month for sentencing.