[ad_1]
SINGAPORE – The National University of Singapore (NUS) determined that a former director of its East Asian Institute (EAI) had behaved inappropriately with a subordinate by hugging her without her consent during a business meeting.
In a statement issued on Tuesday (November 17), the university said that Professor Zheng Yongnian’s behavior “was inappropriate in a professional setting” and had violated the university’s code of conduct for staff.
He would have been given a written warning accordingly, but since Professor Zheng left the university, NUS recorded the result of his internal review in its personnel records, the university said.
Several allegations of sexual harassment involving Professor Zheng had surfaced in August and September on social media, and social media users, who identified themselves as NUS personnel, accused Professor Zheng of harassing them.
In September, the academic, through his lawyers, categorically denied all these accusations and added that his resignation from the university was not related to the complaints and charges against him.
The 58-year-old professor left NUS in September this year (2020) and is believed to have joined the Chinese University of Hong Kong in Shenzhen as director of its China Advanced Institute for Global and Contemporary Studies.
In its latest statement, NUS said they “learned” of the allegations in May 2019 and suspended Professor Zheng on May 20 of that year.
He was asked to work from home and stay off the NUS campus while the police and the university conducted their investigations. Professor Zheng also received a “no contact order”, which prohibited him from contacting the EAI staff member, NUS said.
Subsequently, the police administered a stern warning to Professor Zheng in April 2020 for outrage of modesty in relation to this case.
Following this, NUS appointed a Committee of Inquiry (COI) in July this year to review the complaints and determined that at least one of the staff member’s allegations had occurred.
Professor Zheng admitted to hugging the staff member without his consent during a business meeting on May 30, 2018 in his office, NUS said.
However, the IOC could not establish the “veracity of the allegation that Professor Zheng patted him or touched his buttocks in the absence of evidence,” said NUS.
He was also unable to establish that Professor Zheng had stopped the staff member while taking a group photo, and that he had placed his hands on her shoulder and head during a meeting between the two in his office, as the affected staff member had alleged.
The university said it informed Professor Zheng and the affected staff member of its findings on Monday (November 16) and Tuesday (November 17).
“NUS and EAI have been providing assistance to the affected EAI staff member since they first raised this matter, and we will continue to provide the support they need,” NUS said in its statement.
“We take a firm stand against all forms of inappropriate behavior. All allegations of inappropriate behavior are taken seriously and internal investigations are conducted to investigate such allegations.”
The Straits Times has contacted Professor Zheng through his lawyers for comment.
[ad_2]
