NIPDEC manager seeks sexual harassment report

A senior manager at the National Insurance Property Development Company (NIPDEC) has been granted leave by a judge to challenge the company’s refusal to provide her with the findings of a tribunal which investigated her sexual harassment complaint against a former senior executive.

The woman, who is the head of a department, said she filed a formal complaint against the executive, who no longer works with the company, in June 2019.

She said an investigation was launched and an independent committee was established.

Her application, which was granted by Justice Margaret Mohammed, said the committee concluded that sexual harassment had occurred, and the executive was fired in December that year.

But the claimant said despite the executive’s dismissal, she continues to suffer from other members of the executive who supported him.

She said during the committee’s hearings, she was subjected to ridicule and defamatory statements.

Her application said because of thecumulative effect of the actions, she is weighing her options on litigation, including the liability of the executive and the libellous and defamatory conduct of the other members of the company’s executive in “fabricating information and the dissemination of private information to my former and prospective employers.”

She said she asked for the tribunal’s complete written report and findings and written or audio transcripts of the tribunal hearings, but was denied.

She also asked for the character references in her personal file, but these too were denied as exempt under the Freedom of Information Act.

The application said her attorneys asked NIPDEC to reconsider its position on the requests and on two occasions the company asked for extensions.

She has asked for several declarations, including an order quashing NIDPEC’s decision to refuse to give her the information, and one to compel the company to provide what she has asked for.

Mohammed granted her leave to pursue her judicial review claim and has fixed September 18 for a case management hearing.