The disclosure
A person witnessed acts by a university professor that they believed were wrong. The witness spoke out to the Protecteur du citoyen about conflicts of interest and unauthorized use of a public body’s property.
The context
A university professor operated a personal company in his area of instruction and research. He ignored the university’s rules and policies governing such commercial activities for his own benefit.
What the investigation showed
- The Protecteur du citoyen’s investigation concluded that there had been a misuse of university property. The professor and his employees had made unauthorized use of rooms and software for commercial purposes.
- The investigation also confirmed that a serious breach ethics and professional conduct had occurred. The professor had favoured his personal company or his employees in the context of the awarding of contracts by the university. He had also ignored the university’s conflict of interest policy several times.
The outcome
The Protecteur du citoyen made seven recommendations to the university aimed at clarifying the policies on the notions of interest and ethics and to raise the staff’s awareness of them. The recommendations were also intended to improve the application of control measures by the administrators.
The Protecteur du citoyen sees to the integrity of public services and is part of the action to improve them. Have you witnessed what you think was a wrongdoing relating to a public body? Do you have information suggesting that such an act was committed or is about to be? Disclose now.
