Investigation Launched into University of Greater Manchester Amidst Financial Misconduct and Bullying Allegations
A probe has been launched by England's higher education regulator, the Office for Students, into the University of Greater Manchester over allegations of financial misconduct, bribery, and bullying. The investigation, which is being led by the Office for Students, will examine whether the former University of Bolton had adequate governance arrangements in place to uphold public interest.
The university's vice-chancellor, Sir George Holmes, who has been suspended along with two other senior staff, is at the centre of allegations that hundreds of thousands of pounds in tuition fees were sent to a private company in Morocco through a recruitment partner. The university also paid millions of pounds in international marketing fees to the same company.
In July, Greater Manchester police confirmed they were investigating "allegations of financial irregularities" after reports by the Manchester Mill news site. Detectives and investigators from their major incident team carried out searches of seven properties and seized evidence. The Serious Fraud Office has also been involved in discussions with police over the investigation.
Staff at the university passed a vote of no confidence in Holmes, describing allegations of racism, financial irregularity, and incompetence as "extremely concerning." Phil Brickell, MP for Bolton West, wrote to the Department for Education expressing his concerns about the university's financial arrangements involving a Moroccan site and allegations of bullying and racism.
The University and College Union has called for a thorough explanation of the circumstances and allegations. When Holmes and two other staff members were suspended, a university spokesperson described it as a "precautionary measure" and denied any assumption of guilt.
The university is facing sanctions if found to have breached its registration conditions with the Office for Students. The investigation into the University of Greater Manchester comes after concerns over governance at neighbouring institutions, including the University of Manchester.
A probe has been launched by England's higher education regulator, the Office for Students, into the University of Greater Manchester over allegations of financial misconduct, bribery, and bullying. The investigation, which is being led by the Office for Students, will examine whether the former University of Bolton had adequate governance arrangements in place to uphold public interest.
The university's vice-chancellor, Sir George Holmes, who has been suspended along with two other senior staff, is at the centre of allegations that hundreds of thousands of pounds in tuition fees were sent to a private company in Morocco through a recruitment partner. The university also paid millions of pounds in international marketing fees to the same company.
In July, Greater Manchester police confirmed they were investigating "allegations of financial irregularities" after reports by the Manchester Mill news site. Detectives and investigators from their major incident team carried out searches of seven properties and seized evidence. The Serious Fraud Office has also been involved in discussions with police over the investigation.
Staff at the university passed a vote of no confidence in Holmes, describing allegations of racism, financial irregularity, and incompetence as "extremely concerning." Phil Brickell, MP for Bolton West, wrote to the Department for Education expressing his concerns about the university's financial arrangements involving a Moroccan site and allegations of bullying and racism.
The University and College Union has called for a thorough explanation of the circumstances and allegations. When Holmes and two other staff members were suspended, a university spokesperson described it as a "precautionary measure" and denied any assumption of guilt.
The university is facing sanctions if found to have breached its registration conditions with the Office for Students. The investigation into the University of Greater Manchester comes after concerns over governance at neighbouring institutions, including the University of Manchester.
they're accusing the vice-chancellor and some other senior staff members of doing some pretty shady stuff like bribery and bullying, which is super concerning to me...and on top of that, it's not just the financial misconduct that's got everyone up in arms, but also the whole issue with racism, which is something we should all be talking about 
This just makes me wanna shake my head, you know? I remember when universities were about knowledge and learning, not about lining pockets. These big money deals with private companies in Morocco? It's just shady, you know? 
They're gonna get in trouble for this, I'm sure of it. But what really gets me is the bullying allegations... can't believe they'd stoop that low. Back in my day, we didn't deal with all that drama on campus. We just focused on getting our degrees and making a difference in the world 
idk how many ppl were affected by this financial misconduct tho is there even gonna be anyone held accountable? 
what's bribery tho? like is it when u give someone money to do somethin or wut? btw has anyone else ever had a school experience where they felt bullied lol
I mean, who doesn't love a good scandal? Just kidding, sort of. But seriously, it's like the university is trying to bribe its way to success with all those millions spent on marketing fees 
. And let's not forget about Sir George Holmes' "precautionary measure" – sounds like someone was just trying to cover their tracks before they got caught in a web of financial irregularities 
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. I mean, what's up with the Moroccan recruitment partner? Is that a new trend in education? 
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