Britain's Most Senior Muslim Police Officer Rejects Payout Because He Won't Deny Sir Ian Blair Is a Racist
DAILYMAIL: Britain's most senior Muslim officer has been offered a six-figure sum to settle his race discrimination case against the force, it was revealed.

Sources close to Tarique Ghaffur say the deal, tabled by the Metropolitian Police Authority (MPA), contained a contentious clause that would force the Muslim officer to declare that Met chief Sir Ian Blair was not racist.

But Assistant Commissioner Ghaffur, 50, is said to have rejected the offer as he still believed Sir Ian personally discriminated against him on the grounds of his race.

Mr Ghaffur was suspended this summer after accusing the Met's leadership - including the commissioner - of sidelining him from key duties in favour of white officers. The Met denies the claim.

Mediation talks have been ongoing between two sides, and both hope that an agreement can be reached ahead of Sir Ian's departure on 1 December.

A source close to Mr Ghaffur said: 'The MPA has put an offer on the table but Tarique has made it very clear that he will not accept Sir Ian's terms that he goes back on his accusation that he was unfairly treated by Sir Ian because of his race and religion. >>> | October 20, 2008

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Blair Axes Race Accuser in Showdown
EVENING STANDARD: Police chief Tarique Ghaffur was personally stripped of his duties in a face to face meeting with Sir Ian Blair today.

Britain's most senior Asian officer was "temporarily relieved" of being in charge of the Olympics security and Central Operations at Scotland Yard. It came after Mr Ghaffur publicly accused Met boss Sir Ian of racism and of plotting to oust him during a televised press conference.

His accusations plunged the Met into the worst race row since the Macpherson report into the Stephen Lawrence case and led to further criticism of Sir Ian's leadership. In another development this afternoon, the Metropolitan Police Authority announced it had launched an investigation into 53-year-old Mr Ghaffur for "potential grounds for misconduct".

The MPA, which oversees the Met, said it would appoint a chief constable from another force to carry out the inquiry. Blair Axes Race Accuser in Showdown >>> By Justin Davenport, Crime Correspondent | September 9, 2008

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Turmoil at Scotland Yard as Tarique Ghaffur Accuses Sir Ian Blair of Racism

THE TELEGRAPH: Britain's most senior police chief has been accused of being a racist in an unprecedented personal attack by the country's highest-ranking Asian officer.

Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur went public with a highly damaging legal action against Sir Ian Blair, accusing the Metropolitan Police Commissioner of repeated acts of racial, religious and age discrimination.

The dispute is the latest to undermine Sir Ian's leadership of Britain's largest force.

With Scotland Yard responsible for protecting the country from terrorism, policing the capital and protecting the Government and Royal Family, senior officers fear the dispute will leave the force in a state of near paralysis.

Mr Ghaffur's attack, in a televised press conference, resulted in Sir Ian's deputy, Sir Paul Stephenson, issuing a sharp rebuke and left the impression of a force blighted by in-fighting.

Sir Paul told Mr Ghaffur to "shut up" and get on with what he was paid to do. But the commissioner's position appeared fragile as senior sources admitted Scotland Yard had suffered a "deeply embarrassing, damaging and sad day".

Mr Ghaffur's solicitor, Shahrokh Mireskandari, said Sir Ian's future would hinge on the outcome of the case.

He is particularly vulnerable, with the forthcoming inquest into the fatal shooting of the innocent Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes likely to hear stringent criticism of his management of the force.

Should Mr Ghaffur's legal action succeed, it will further intensify the calls for Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, to force Sir Ian out of his job.

David Davis, the former shadow home secretary, has called for the Commissioner to go in the interests of national security and to restore public trust in policing.

The action by Mr Ghaffur, the Met's joint third highest ranking officer, is the first time an officer of such seniority has sued his chief. It plunges the force into its worst racism row since the 1998 Macpherson report branded the force "institutionally racist". Turmoil at Scotland Yard as Tarique Ghaffur Accuses Sir Ian Blair of Racism >>> By Richard Edwards, Crime Correspondent | August 28, 2008

TIMESONLINE:
Tariq Ghaffur Goes Public with Racism Claims, Laying Bare Civil War at Met Police >>> By Sean O’Neill, Crime Editor | August 28, 2008

THE INDEPENDENT:
Ghaffur blames Met Chief for police discrimination >>> PA | August 28, 2008

MAIL Online:
Spitting in the Face of the Country that Saved Him >>> By Amanda Platell | August 30, 2008

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