CIMA disciplinary 'bad faith and bias'

MARGARET MAY has accused CIMA of “bad faith and bias” in bringing a disciplinary case against her, saying “politics” is behind her accusation of professional misconduct.

The hearing continued today. May’s lawyer, Garrett Byrne, argued there had been an abuse of process, saying the institute “breached the safeguards of the disciplinary regime”.

Byrne said the way the case came to light – through an email in which CIMA members urged others to back their complaint – was compounded by inappropriate handling, bias and “a manifest failure to properly investigate at all”.

He said politics had inflated a small spat that ordinarily would have been handled internally and denied that May’s alleged misconduct was a matter of public concern.

CIMA’s lawyer Fenella Morris blasted this interpretation, saying May’s “lack of truthfulness, integrity and respect for confidentiality goes to the heart of professionalism”. On this basis, she argued, May’s conduct warranted the official hearing.

However, Morris was less confident in denying the accusations of bad faith and bias; she argued instead that, even if such politics did play a part, there lacked sufficient grounds for the case to be thrown out.

Both sides are due to present their closing arguments this afternoon but the hearing may continue if the process is not completed within the allotted time.