Aberdeen University ordered to repay £119,000 it paid former principal following review

Aberdeen University will need to repay £119,000 to the Scottish funding council after the body found that there were flaws in the agreement made to pay the amount to former principal Sir Ian Diamond.

The SFC said: "The University could not provide evidence that proper authorisation procedures had been followed in securing this outplacement support."

The University has now said they accept the findings and are to repay the money.

Esther Roberton, who was elected in 2019 to the role of Senior Governor of the University of Aberdeen, said:

“The University has co-operated fully with this review, welcomes publication of the report, accepts its main findings and has already repaid the £119,000 to the Scottish Funding Council. Court - the University’s governing body - will reflect closely on the SFC’s suggestion that the University may wish to consider repaying additional monies or donating to a University learning-related activity, once it has had the opportunity to fully consider the report’s findings and their implications.

Minister of further education Richard Lochhead has weighed in on the issue.

He said in a statement:

“It is clearly unacceptable that the University of Aberdeen did not meet its grant conditions, nor the highest standards of transparency that we expect of organisations which benefit from public funds. I expect the University to take immediate action on the SFC’s recommendations.

“The report finds that payments were made to Professor Diamond without appropriate approvals and without documented assessment of value for money. I do not believe the impact should be borne by the student or staff bodies and I therefore urge the University to consider whether it can recoup these funds.”