An employment tribunal brought by two academics, claiming they were unfairly dismissed by Swansea University for gross misconduct for not declaring personal equity stakes and roles in the £200m Life Sciences and Wellness Village project, has heard closing submissions.
Former dean of the university’s school of management Prof Marc Clement, and colleague Steven Poole, were sacked in 2019 after a protracted independent investigation following their suspensions in November, 2018. They subsequently lost their appeals. Also dismissed for gross misconduct was the university’s former vice-chancellor Prof Richard B Davies.
His dismissal was not related to any proposed equity stakes in the wellness village at Delta Lakes, in Llanelli, which before being shelved was seeking a £40m contribution from the City Deal for the Swansea Bay City Region. The wellness village, which had identified a number of potential industrial partners and investors, was a joint venture between the university, Carmarthenshire County Council and development partner Sterling Health, headed by its chief executive Franz Dickmann.
