Swansea University chiefs considered pressuring police - tribunal

Swansea University denies senior staff considered influencing a police investigation

Senior university staff discussed exerting pressure on police to investigate a former academic, a tribunal has heard.

Prof Marc Clement, ex-dean of Swansea University's school of management, was sacked for gross misconduct in 2019 but police dropped bribery allegations.

He and fellow former employee Steven Poole are claiming they were unfairly dismissed at an employment tribunal.

Swansea University denied it considered influencing a police investigation.

Lawyers representing the university have questioned Prof Clements' claims and their relevance to the case.

The dismissals were made in relation to a £200m wellness village that was planned in Llanelli.

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Prof Clement was accused by Swansea University of being in line to personally profit from the project.

Former vice-chancellor Prof Richard Davies was also dismissed for gross misconduct and gross negligence following a disciplinary process by the university, but he is yet to bring his case to tribunal.

After the dismissals, police concluded "the correct procurement guidelines were followed and overseen by specialist law firms", and no criminal proceedings pursued.

At an employment tribunal in Cardiff, Prof Clement claimed senior members of the university's council exchanged emails saying he, Mr Poole and others could be prosecuted by police or suspended, saying "frankly, a prosecution would be easier for us".

Prof Clement says university chiefs sought to exert pressure on the police and politicians

In an email from 20 December 2018, the tribunal heard the university's former registrar, Andrew Rhodes, told members of Swansea University's council "the police will be much easier to influence to act with political pressure".

The tribunal heard he went on to say "I have some tricks up my sleeve" to make Dyfed-Powys Police take the case further and described "political pressure being applied in the background".

The emails, read to the tribunal by Prof Clement, suggested Mr Rhodes planned to write to First Minister Mark Drakeford to challenge the "lack of police movement" against the suspended employees.

The tribunal also heard that on 17 December 2018, Sir Roger Jones, former chairman of the university council, said in an email: "We are at risk of being made a laughing stock. I am happy to use whatever influence I may have, formally or informally, through political or other contacts to break this deadlock."

Prof Clement, representing himself, asked the current university council chairman, Bleddyn Phillips: "Is it appropriate for a university to use political pressure to ask the police to act?"

Mr Phillips declined to comment.

Swansea University has always maintained its disciplinary investigation was separate to the police's inquiry.

At the tribunal, Mr Phillips said "the fact that police were involved had no influence whatsoever on the panel's decision".

The university's lawyer, James Laddie QC, suggested Prof Clement had misconstrued the context of emails.

Speaking after the hearing, Swansea University said: "The documents in question do not show members of the university discussing how to influence the police investigation.

"Rather they are concerned with the procedural delay in the police investigation, in particular arising from discussions between the police forces as to which force would lead on the investigation, as the university was keen to progress matters."

The tribunal continues.