By IANS,
London : London’s police force is set to pay Britain’s highest-ranking Asian police officer around 300,000 pounds in an out-of-court settlement for racial discrimination, a newspaper reported Wednesday.
Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur, who was suspended after a high-profile public spat with Metropolitan Police Commissioner Ian Blair, is close to agreeing to the settlement after originally asking for 1.2 million pounds, the Daily Mail said.
The paper said the two sides are trying to reach an agreement before Dec 1, when Blair steps down after a flurry of race accusations and the controversial police killing of an innocent Brazilian man in the aftermath of the 7/7 London suicide bombings.
It quoted unnamed insiders as saying if the tribunal had been allowed to run its course Uganda-born Ghaffur may have levelled accusations of racism against Blair and other top officers.
“The Yard wants to wipe the slate clean before a new man – or woman – takes over. There is an acceptance that Mr Ghaffur may have been badly treated on occasions. However, it has been strongly argued that his race was not a factor,” it quoted a source as saying.
In addition to his payout, Ghaffur will be entitled to a lump sum pension payout of 522,000 pounds and an index-linked pension of 85,000 pounds per annum.
Ghaffur accused Blair of racial, religious and age discrimination in a televised press conference, claiming the commissioner had sidelined him from his Olympic security role.