Employment Board split on accepting King's resignation

Wednesday 18 January 2017

Following the resignation of Senator Philip Ozouf, more details are now emerging about the resignation of Mike King, who used to have accounting responsibility for the ill-fated Innovation Fund.

The news that Mr King had stepped down was announced just days before the States spending watchdog published her report on the Innovation Fund, which led to Senator Ozouf's resignation yesterday. That report was deeply critical of Mr King, who was the official "Accounting Officer" for the Fund up until November 2016.

Now in response to a question from Deputy Mike Higgins, the States have clarified the circumstances around his departure, which many have found suspicious in the light of the critical Comptroller and Auditor General's report. 

The Chief Minister's Department says it wasn't a "negotiated" departure, that Mr King simply tendered his resignation and received six months pay in lieue of notice, thought to be in the region of £70k. It's not clear if that deal would still have been done a few weeks later, after the CAG had published her damning report. 

Mr King's resignation was accepted by a majority of the States Employment Board (SEB) on the Friday immediately before Christmas, the 23rd December, and it also appears there was both a "settlement agreement" and a "confidentiality agreement."

The SEB had earlier rejected a request from Mr King to take voluntary redundancy:

"22/12/2016 electronic brief given by Director of Employment relations to SEB members, Chief Executive and advisor to the SEB in relation to advice and options for the SEB to consider in dealing with the resignation of the former Chief Officer dated 15th December 2016. This brief included potential terms of a settlement agreement and confidentiality agreement.