SCOTTISH Labour has launched a probe into a would-be Westminster candidate who was branded “untruthful” and “evasive” in a sexual harassment case.
A panel set up by the party is considering a judge’s ruling which touched on Asim Khan's role as chair of the Roshni charity.
Khan, a solicitor, is one of four individuals vying to become Labour’s candidate in Glasgow South West, a seat won by the SNP last year by 60 votes.
However, the selection has been marred by a row over revelations about Khan’s previous involvement with Roshni, which was set up to help ethnic minority survivors of child abuse.
In 2016, an employment tribunal ruled that an anonymous female staffer, Miss C, had been subjected to “harassment, victimisation and discrimination” by charity founder Ali Khan and another man, Shaukat Sultan.
Ali Khan’s behaviour included verbal and physical abuse, cutting the woman's hours after she rejected his advances, threatening her with dismissal, making “sexually explicit remarks to her” and encouraging her to flirt with potential advertisers.
The tribunal ordered Roshni and Ali Khan to pay Miss C £74,647, but she never received a penny as the charity was wound up.
However, the judgement also stated that there had been a “complete failure” by Asim Khan, as chair, “to take any steps to protect the claimant”. He later apologised to the woman on behalf of Roshni.
In a later ruling, the judge included a summary of the earlier oral findings: “In relation to Asim Khan, we found that Mr Khan was evasive at the outset of cross-examination.”
It added: “We found that Mr Asim Khan was untruthful, and that he did know what was going on between Mr Ali Khan and the claimant…”
The judge also dealt with claims that Miss C’s step father had been contacted as part of an attempt to pressurise her not to pursue the claims.
“We accept that Asim Khan contacted [the stepfather] in circumstances where he understood the claimant to be represented by a solicitor. He himself is a solicitor who appears regularly before the Employment Tribunal and he knew or ought to have known that the claimant had begun early conciliation. He would understand therefore that it was entirely inappropriate for him to act in this way.”
An online petition calling on Asim Khan to be removed from the candidate shortlist was launched after the findings emerged, and the solicitor is also the subject of a complaint to a legal body.
The Sunday Herald understands a three-person panel of the party’s governing Scottish executive committee (SEC) is examining the judge’s ruling.
It is understood the party may want to interview Khan, but it is unclear whether any meeting has taken place yet. A senior SNP source told this newspaper that he “really hopes” Khan becomes the Labour candidate.
Khan backed MSP Anas Sarwar for the Scottish Labour leadership last year and is believed to be an ally of the parliamentarian.
A Scottish Labour spokesman said: “These are internal matters and we do not comment on leaks.”
Khan did not respond to a request for a comment.
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