A leprosy charity boss branded people from Bangladesh "snakes" as he believed they were dishonest, a tribunal has heard.
Lepra chief executive Terry Vasey repeated the remark a number of times in the presence of Bangladeshi employee Rokunuz Zaman, also branding his countrymen "corrupt," it was alleged.
The employment tribunal sitting at Stratford, east London, has been considering Mr Zaman's claims of constructive dismissal and racial discrimination after he resigned from the Colchester-based organisation and was jobless for 18 months.
His representative Liz Whitehead yesterday told how the devout Muslim was driven to despair by the ordeal, and even attempted suicide.
Michael Lane, representing Lepra, said the organisation completely denied all the accusations of racism and had treated Mr Zaman like any other member of staff.
He said some of the claimant's witnesses had accused Mr Vasey of calling anyone he believed was dishonest a "snake".
"If that is the case, it can hardly be construed as racism," he said.
The tribunal is due to announce its judgement on Friday.
- More in today's Gazette
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article