Lawsuit filed against former members of MSB

Manama : Multinational School Bahrain (MSB) has filed a lawsuit against its former board members Julia Jefferson and Grant Jefferson, school officials said yesterday.

The duo, who owned a combined 50 per cent stake in the institution, stopped their involvement in running the school recently.  Both have also made a public statement that they ended their partnership with the local owners of MSB. 

Asked why Julia Jefferson and Grant Jefferson  have ended the partnership, the Board consultant Ismaeel Ridha said: “In the recent past there were some issues, they fell short of our expectations when it came to the school operations. The high standards we set were not being met. Even the Ministry of Education mentioned this to us. So we found that it was necessary to part ways.”

Explaining the case further, Ridha said: “When we did the auditing we found some points that we needed clarifications and they did not provide us the clarifications. They had rights to sign agreements and such, they had these powers but we believe they have misused this. According to the audit report they have made related party transactions so we will go ahead with this case in court. We are not here to say that they are cheaters, we will let the court of Bahrain to decide on the matter.” 

“We will also take legal action for using our data to harm us,” he said adding that there will be further cases filed against them.

Julia and Grant have made allegations against the board, accusing them of committing ‘illegal acts’. 

“We are sorry to inform you that starting November 27, 2016 we ceased to be involved in the management of the MSB due to a series of illegal acts committed against our legitimate interests and rights in the school. We have proceeded in taking all necessary legal measures needed to restore our rights and to protect our interests as well as to obtain indemnities from the breaching parties to cover all material and moral damages caused to us. Unfortunately, the MSB - Bahrain is no longer part of the Multinational group of schools. We are very disappointed not to be able to continue to serve and support the MSB – Bahrain community,” they said in a statement. 

“We set up the MSB with the intention to run the school indefinitely. We were stunned that the school was taken over without any prior consultation including the finances of the school. We have been trying to resolve this situation but have been unable to since November 27.  We would like nothing better than the school to be part of the Multinational Group of schools. Unfortunately our local partners do not share this vision. We are unable to comment on the capabilities of the school’s current management and ownership. I can say that me and my team’s capabilities from the Multinational School group are no longer available to the school. This includes our school improvement capabilities to deliver outstanding teaching and learning, leadership and management and school administration,” they said in their statement. Ridha dismissed the allegations stating that the board have not committed anything illegal. 

“I believe this change is very positive for the school. I am very happy with what the board members are talking about. We have ambitious plans to develop the school further, we are looking at options for getting a bigger campus more facilities,” said Head of Learning Enhancement Paul Large. 

However, neither the changes within the management nor the legal battle it is involved will affect students, Large assured.