Keble has made an out of court payment to Diamond Versi, the accountant who accused the College of racism after he was sacked in April 2004. The College refused to comment on the level of compensation paid to Mr Versi, but The Oxford Student understands it to be under £200,000. Versi had previously demanded £250,000. Versi claimed the college bursar, Roger Boden, wanted him out in order to create an 'all-white regime'.
An employment tribunal found in favour of Versi in April this year, and the college immediately employed lawyers Clifford Chance to fight an appeal. The hearing was scheduled for the 14th July, and a preliminary hearing on the 12th concluded that the appeal should proceed to a full hearing. However, instead of going to a hearing, the College decided to award Versi an out of court settlement.
Tim Jenkinson, Acting Warden of Keble, said: "the decision to settle was made to avoid further legal costs and the prolonged disruption that it would have caused to the College. It is not an admission of guilt. Keble strongly disagreed with the inferences drawn by the Employment Tribunal, but it is in the interests of all parties to draw a line under this dispute and move forward.
Julia Boyce, a spokeswoman for Clifford Chance, stated that they were unable to comment due to 'confidentiality reasons'. During the employment tribunal, the college was accused by the judge of allowing a "sham reorganisation", which led to Versi's dismissal when his post was abolished.
Jenkinson, however, stated that the college took exception to the claim. "The evidence since the case shows that the reorganisation has been completely effective and the savings are actually higher than expected."
Other instances of racism cited were the refusal of a £4,000 loan to a Pakistani cleaner, when similar loans were given to white employees. A Vietnamese waitress was offered £5,000 to remain in her job when she expressed an interest in joining the accounts department.
The tribunal also heavily criticised the college's equal opportunities policy, saying, "in practice very little was done". The College has always systematically denied the accusations and as a result no disciplinary action has been taken against Boden. However, since the tribunal, the college has taken steps to improve policy. "We have... completely revised our equal opportunities policies. We commissioned an independent review, and are currently implementing all the recommendations," said Jenkinson. Roger Boden refused to comment.