Oxfam GB has updated records relating to a fifth former member of staff after an investigation into sexual misconduct, bullying and other claims in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The charity said last year that an external investigation had led to three members of staff being sacked and a fourth person would have faced dismissal but their contract expired before the disciplinary process was complete.
It said today that the external investigation had concluded and upheld allegations of misconduct against a fifth person who had left the charity before the disciplinary process had finished.
The charity said that in line with its policies and the Inter-agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, which allows member agencies to check if an individual has had disciplinary sanctions against them or is subject of ongoing sexual misconduct investigations, “the outcome for those that left is noted on their records and any existing references are updated”.
The charity has not named the individuals involved to protect the identities of survivors and witnesses.
Oxfam said the Charity Commission, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and donors had been kept informed throughout the investigation and would be updated if any further issues arose.
Danny Sriskandarajah, chief executive of Oxfam GB, said: “Abuses of power are an affront to our values and we are working hard, both to prevent them taking place and to tackle them when they do occur.
“I would like to thank the staff, past and present, who brought this serious misconduct to our attention and to apologise to those who were hurt by it.
“I hope the thoroughness of the external investigation and the actions we have taken since will reinforce the message that Oxfam takes all misconduct extremely seriously and will not tolerate behaviour which undermines our values.”