ADM suspends director general charged with alleged sexual abuse of reporter
The Board of Directors of ADM, the main producer of Canal Sur with 47% public ownership by the Andalusian regional government, has agreed to temporarily remove from his duties director general Gustavo Fuentes, who has been charged by a judge with alleged sexual abuse of an employee of the group.
ADM temporarily removes its chief executive following charges of sexual abuse
The governing body of ADM, the parent company of Canal Sur's audiovisual production, where the Andalusian regional administration holds nearly half the shares, has decided to provisionally remove Gustavo Fuentes from his post. The judge has attributed to him the commission of sexual harassment against a reporter from the group, according to reporting by ABC.
The complaint was filed at the beginning of the year by a professional who was on leave of absence. The firm indicates that its board members became aware of the document on 7 May, by way of the person involved himself, with no prior record in the internal channels designed for such cases.
From that moment, the established mechanisms were activated. The Compliance unit was tasked with analysing what had occurred and formulating recommendations. Simultaneously, to ensure ordinary functioning, powers were delegated to the financial officer for the signing of agreements on behalf of the company.
After studying the dossier prepared by Compliance, at the beginning of June the governing body approved various provisional safeguards. Among these, Fuentes's capacity to intervene was restricted regarding personnel management and those patrimonial decisions that could be connected with the open criminal case. Such powers remained in the hands of the Board itself and, in certain areas, of the financial division under its control.
Days later, an extraordinary meeting addressed the repercussions arising from the media coverage of the matter. From that meeting emerged the decision to remove the executive from his position provisionally, until the clarification of his legal standing is concluded, maintaining the principle of innocence in force.
The Compliance division will continue to monitor the proceedings and will report to the Board any significant developments. The entity has reaffirmed its commitment to the principles of proper administration, informational transparency and institutional rectitude, together with its deference to the work of the courts, the presumption of innocence and the guarantees of the person who filed the complaint and the rest of those involved.
Fuentes himself has stated to the Seville newspaper that he declares himself completely innocent and that he will prove such fact at his appearance before the court, scheduled for 25 June. The political formations that make up the opposition have demanded that the head of the regional government account for the case, given the volume of public investment in the production company.
Source: ABC