An Oxford University college was branded racist yesterday over the dismissal of an Asian accountant.
Diamond Versi claimed the bursar of Keble College wanted him out to create an all-white regime.
An employment tribunal also heard how Roger Boden offered an oriental waitress £5,000 to persuade her against moving to a job in accounts, and refused a £4,000 loan to a Pakistani cleaner while approving similar loans to white employees.
The panel agreed that Mr Boden and Keble College racially discriminated against Mr Versi.
It ruled that Mr Boden's approach towards him was 'high-handed' and antagonistic'. And it criticised college bosses for doing 'very little' to implement equal opportunities for staff, saying the college's grievance procedure was a 'sham'.
Mr Versi, 57, now stands to win up to £250,000 in damages. However, the bursar will be allowed to keep his job, and the college says it may appeal.
Mr Versi worked for the college from 1989 until he was made redundant last April. The tribunal heard that he lost his £47,000-a-year job when Mr Boden combined Mr Versi's post with that of his deputy, Julie Hernandez - who got the job.
Mr Versi told the tribunal that Mr Boden pursued 'a vendetta' against him - even after a fraud inquiry in January 2003 cleared him of any wrongdoing. The tribunal panel said: 'The fraud investigation was an extremely serious matter with no factual background to justify it, merely the whim of the bursar who considered that the claimant, in taking a long-haul overseas holiday and acquiring a BMW, may be guilty of misfeasance.'
The panel heard evidence of other alleged racism at Keble. Mr Versi told how, when waitress Hien Le expressed interest in joining the accounts department, Mr Boden offered her £5,000 more to stay as a waitress.
Mr Versi said this was 'to keep the administration all-white'. Mr Boden said he offered Miss Le the increase because of a short-term crisis with the catering staff, but the tribunal did not believe him. It criticised the college's equal opportunities policy for staff, saying: 'It was clear that whilst the college was able to brandish a bit of paperwork showing it had a policy, in practice very little was done.' The tribunal added that the college operated a two-tier equal opportunities policy one for students and another for staff, which was largely ignored.
Mr Versi said later: 'I think the whole Oxford scene is institutionally racist. There isn't one brown or black bursar or accountant in all 36 colleges.' He called on Mr Boden to resign. 'I think his position is untenable,'he added.
Keble College said it believed it acted 'fairly and lawfully' towards Mr Versi, and it is considering an appeal. It rejected the tribunal's finding that the grievance procedure had been a sham. It said a 'thorough internal investigation' found that Mr Versi's complaints were without foundation or merit.