Ashiq Ali.
A Leeds taxi firm has been thrown into disarray after its chairman and management committee all resigned in the wake of a tribunal decision.
The YEP reported last month that taxi driver Ashiq Ali, 49, had been awarded more than £18,000 in damages, costs and unpaid wages after he was suspended from a treasurer’s job at the City Cabs Association amid allegations of misappropriating funds.
The tribunal found the chairman of the firm Khaliq Ahmed – who was also a Justice of the Peace in Leeds – fabricated evidence including fake payslips and a termination letter, and changing the minutes of the firm’s AGM to try to show that Mr Ali’s suspension had been properly ratified by committee members.
It has now emerged Mr Ahmed has resigned from his magistrate’s role, and, at a lengthy crisis meeting on Monday, the firm’s entire management committee also resigned following pressure from its 300 drivers and a vote of no confidence.
An interim management committee has now been elected, and new elections will be held in the coming weeks.
A spokeswoman for the Judicial Office for England and Wales said: “I can confirm that Khaliq Ahmed has not been suspended from his post as a magistrate but he resigned as from today.”
Jahangir Ashraf, who was voted in as interim chairman at Monday’s eight-hour emergency meeting, told the YEP: “We had an EGM and the committee have resigned after a vote of no confidence. Mr Ahmed resigned and then most of the panel.
“A temporary interim panel was selected and we will be having elections according to our constitution. Our intention is to hold it in 14 days. Everything is calming down now – everyone is relieved.”
Pressure had been mounting on the committee to hold an emergency meeting following Alwoodley father-of-six Mr Ali’s tribunal victory in July, and the YEP’s subsequent coverage of it.
The tribunal panel had said in its 12-page ruling that the firm had provided “untruthful” and “unreliable” evidence.
“The Association’s conduct of the proceedings was unreasonable... its defence to Mr Ali’s claims was largely based on a conscious misrepresentation of the facts,” the judgement said.
Mr Ali, who is still a hackney carriage driver with the firm, had been elected to be the Association’s treasurer in March 2009. He was suspended six months later.
A counterclaim by the Association, with a list of allegations including misappropriation of thousands of pounds, was dismissed by the tribunal judges.
Mr Ahmed did not respond to the YEP’s approaches for comment.
City Cabs Association, which is a non-profit organisation representing 300 Hackney carriage drivers, was ordered to pay Mr Ali £10,000 legal costs, almost £2,000 costs for defending the counterclaim, almost £600 damages for breach of contract and almost £5,500 unpaid wages.
City Cabs is one of three hackney carriage firms operating in Leeds.
source: http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/
