Suspended CEO dismissed after BADMC Board hearing

The embattled Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the state-owned Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (BADMC) Dr Brian Francis has been fired.

Dr Francis, who was suspended on Monday over “allegations of misconduct,” was today handed his termination papers and a cheque on arrival home soon after attending an internal hearing with the BADMC Board, Barbados TODAY has learnt.

Sources close to that meeting disclosed that the board took the action although it had reportedly withdrawn the charges against Dr Francis during the hearing.

The sources said they were shocked at the decision considering that the session was harmonious and that the charges were withdrawn.

The nature of the specific charges could not be ascertained up to the time of publication.

Dr Francis was unavailable for comment and when contacted tonight, the dismissed CEO’s attorney-at-law Hal Gollop, Q.C. would only tell Barbados TODAY he was awaiting official notification from the board “because they promised they would notify me…and I am waiting to discuss it with my client.”

The dismissal of the CEO is the latest twist to a recent dispute between the ex-CEO and the board in which he vehemently objected to its decision to pay a terminated temporary clerical officer, Akelia Roberts over $7,000 for alleged breach of contract against the legal opinion of the agency’s two attorneys.

In fact, Dr Francis wrote chairman Dereck Foster advising that such a payment was untenable.

However, the chairman insisted in writing that Roberts, who was on a six-month contract, must be paid the claim she had earlier made in a letter to the board.

The board’s decision to settle the claim was based on recommendations from its HR Sub-Committee which suggested it wanted to save face for the statutory body.

In a letter dated March 3, 2021, chairman of committee Dr Jeannine Comma contended that the existence of a written official reason for Roberts’ firing and different information coming from a board member conflicted each other.

“The two statements…are obviously in conflict and since there was a written official

document a further inquiry would seriously damage the credibility of the CEO,” Dr Comma stated.

“It is also our opinion that such a situation would cause significant embarrassment to the BADMC and it is against that backdrop that the committee recommended at the last board meeting held on February 22nd that Ms. Roberts should be paid for the remainder of the contract in order to avoid adverse fallout,” she concluded.

As the controversy inside the corporation continued to unfold, Barbados TODAY broke the news that a day after the CEO’s suspension, the Security Coordinator Officer Junior Murray was fired as the directors declared intentions to take the BADMC “in another direction”.

Board chairman Foster has consistently told Barbados TODAY he does not discuss the corporation’s business with the Press.

Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Indar Weir could not be reached for comment tonight.

(emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb)