Tribunal orders former director of a Sabah hospital to apologise, pay RM10,000 over sexual harassment complaint

KOTA KINABALU, Sept 23 — A former hospital director in Sabah has been ordered by the Anti-Sexual Harassment Tribunal (TAGS) to pay RM10,000 compensation to a woman who filed a police report accusing him of sexual harassment, according to the tribunal's decision dated Sept 18. His legal representative, Joan Goh, stated that the tribunal also required her client to issue an apology to the woman and transfer the compensation to her bank account within 30 days of the award. The apology must be sent to the woman via the TAGS email address, reported the Daily Express.

Goh informed that her client will contest the tribunal's decision in the High Court through a judicial review, seeking a stay of the award pending the resolution of the challenge. She affirmed that the respondent contends the decision is legally unsustainable and raises significant concerns demanding consideration by the High Court.

These include whether the tribunal took into account irrelevant factors and evidence in reaching its findings and whether the necessary statutory requirements for a determination of sexual harassment were appropriately evaluated and applied.