PBS to appeal Industrial Tribunal decision on John Bundy dismissal

The Public Broadcasting Services will be appealing an Industrial Tribunal decision which ruled former CEO John Bundy was sacked unfairly.

Bundy was dismissed by the PBS board in 2017 after an internal report revealed allegations that he breached procurement rules in a car leasing agreement.

Bundy sued PBS for unfair dismissal and in a ruling last week, despite the evidence of wrongdoing, the tribunal decreed that the board sacked him before concluding an investigation into the breach and without holding disciplinary proceedings.

The national broadcaster said its board of directors was given legal advice from three separate parties, who all agreed there are grounds for appeal.

The board of directors said it will continue to safeguard the company’s interests.

“This is a media company which in its role as national broadcaster has a obligation to the country. The company is partly financed by public funds, and so the board will be proceeding cautiously and responsibly,” it said.

On Sunday, MaltaToday reported that John Bundy’s decision to steam ahead on a massive car leasing agreement with Burmarrad Commercials, was in violation of the PBS procurement procedures, an internal inquiry carried out by auditors RSM concluded.

The audit, carried out between October-November 2017, motivated the final decision by the PBS board to dismiss Bundy, who however last week won an unfair dismissal case before the Industrial Tribunal.

The confidential RSM inquiry was the second investigation carried out at the behest of PBS, after the Department of Contracts itself found that the €400,000 leasing contract of eight years, was a “flagrant breach” of procurement rules.

But RSM’s audit concluded in no uncertain terms that Bundy had ignored procurement rules by not issuing a tender administered by the Director of Contracts.

READ ALSO | Confidential RSM report: Bundy ignored PBS rules, did not tell directors of €400,000 deal