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Rabat – Converging reports of an alleged sexual harassment scandal involving a “high-ranking official” at the British Council in Rabat have quickly gone viral online.
Media outlets across the world have picked up the story, which centers on accusations made by a British woman who used to work for the organization, but the outcome of the case led her to resign from her position.
The case was brought up first by British news outlet The Standard last week, with the report, suggesting that the senior British official “sexually harassed and stalked” a colleague in Morocco.
“Tony Reilly OBE obsessively pursued the woman when they were working together in Morocco, deluging her with gifts, sending text message declarations of love, and sneaking into her home to leave flowers,” the Standard wrote last week.
On Tuesday, Al Arabiya reported on the case, quoting the complainant, who chose to remain anonymous.
The news outlet also identified the alleged perpetrator by his initials (T.R.) only. According to Al Arabiya, the woman filed a lawsuit against the British Council in February 2022.
The complainant told Al Arabiya that she was “subjected to blatant sexual harassment during her time working at the British Council in Rabat. The woman also mentioned that the alleged perpetrator was sending her “inappropriate and intimate messages” via WhatsApp.
Morocco World News (MWN) reached out to the British Council for a comment but has not received a response as of this time of writing. MWN also attempted to contact the British embassy in Rabat, but calls went unanswered.
“The harassment escalated beyond text messages to include the official invading her home to leave a bouquet and tracking her movements wherever she went,” Al Arabiya further reported, noting that the case had a direct impact on both her personal and professional life.
The news outlet mentioned that a London employment tribunal found that the British Council failed to protect the victim.
“The court noted that the consulate had favored (T.R) over the victim,” Al Arabiya reported, noting that the alleged victim expressed her disappointment that the council dismissed her complaint.
The complainant also accused the council of deleting digital evidence of sexual harassment.
“She was shocked by the results of the internal investigation, which concluded that while the senior official’s behavior was inappropriate, it did not amount to sexual harassment,” Al Arabiya wrote.
The woman later resigned from her position, following the outcome of the case.
The case went viral online, with many others reposting reports about alleged sexual harassment incidents within the British Council. It remains to be seen whether the council will issue a clarification on the case.
