DOHA: A Qatari director is likely to replace the Dutch head of the Doha Centre for Media Freedom (DCMF) who has been given marching orders.
Jan Keulen said in a statement yesterday he was suddenly fired as director of the DCMF following a dispute with its board over the procedure of payments. “For some time there had been problems in the centre, regarding the procedure of payments. I asked the chairman of the board to grant me the authority to sign for financial transactions.”
Keulen said he should have been given that authority according to his employment contract and the centre’s rules and regulations. “The answer was negative and instead I was asked to resign. Less than a week after this I was sacked.”
Keulen said since the news of his exit broke he had received a large number of messages of support. “Many of our staff members are more or less in shock and worried about the continuation of the programmes and activities the Centre is involved in.” Keulen added that he had been told that a Qatari will arrive in the coming days as his replacement.
The Peninsula
