Mr S Eynollahi v Brent Community Transport — 2025

The tribunal found that the Respondent unfairly dismissed the Claimant, the former CEO of Brent Community Transport, following an investigation into alleged unauthorised payments to himself. While dismissing a CEO for taking money from a charity could fall within the band of reasonable responses, the tribunal held the employer had no reasonable grounds for its belief in the Claimant's guilt and that the investigation was inadequate. Among other matters, Moses had signed off on the Claimant's payments year after year, the accounts had been repeatedly audited, and the Respondent failed to obtain input from appropriate experts such as its own auditors. Unfairness at the dismissal stage was not cured at appeal.

The breach of contract complaint succeeded because the Respondent did not prove the Claimant had acted dishonestly or so negligently as to lose his entitlement to notice. The holiday pay complaint succeeded only to the extent admitted by the Respondent, with a shortfall of GBP 58.02 on termination payments; the Claimant's wider argument that he was entitled to carry over more annual leave was not accepted.

The tribunal dismissed the race discrimination complaints and the public interest disclosure complaints, finding that the Claimant had not made the protected disclosures alleged and that neither his dismissal nor any detriment was because of protected disclosure or race. Remedy in respect of the successful complaints was reserved to a separate hearing.