Former ANZ chief executive Shayne Elliott has defended the bank’s decision to sack a former trader for misconduct, appearing in the witness box in the legal battle between ANZ and Etienne Alexiou, who alleges he was dismissed for being a whistleblower.

Elliott, who was replaced by Nuno Matos in May, was in court on Friday in a trial brought by Alexiou, ANZ’s former head of balance sheet trading. Several current and former ANZ staff have already been in the witness box.