Wednesday, 12 November 2008


£10m for twins in City race row

12.11.2008

MUSLIM twin sisters who took a City firm to a tribunal claiming sex, race and religious discrimination settled for a record £10million payout yesterday.

Samira and Hanan Fariad, 31, made more than 200 allegations against brokers Tradition Securities and Futures.

But just days after the case began last week the two sides settled for what is believed to be a staggering £10million. It dwarfs all previous payouts.

The French twins, who held hands during tribunal hearings, were on £50,000 a year salaries but earned six figures with commission.

Backlash

They claimed Jewish clients were taken away from them. And they said bosses transferred these clients to non-Muslims during their two years as brokers.

Office ... company's towering headquarters

Office ... company's
towering headquarters

Last week the French-owned firm dismissed the allegations as “an utter distortion of the facts”.

But yesterday an insider said: “Tradition knew what was going to come out in the tribunal if this case wasn’t settled and they knew it wouldn’t look good, regardless of the truth of the claims.

“These things can cause uproar at the best of times but with the current economic climate there could have been a nasty backlash.”

The twins quit the company in November 2006 saying they could no longer work there.

All the staff they claimed were behind the discrimination have also since left the firm.

The case at the Central London Employment Tribunal opened last Wednesday and was scheduled to last 55 days. It would have been one of the longest-ever in the UK.

The twins’ solicitors, Russell Jones and Walker, said neither side will discuss details of the settlement.

A spokesman said: “The parties are pleased to confirm that this matter has now settled on confidential terms.”

Recently bank worker Balbinder Chagger, 40, won £2.8million for race discrimination after claiming he was overlooked for promotion in favour of white colleagues at Abbey.

And Bradford-based Muslim lawyer Halima Aziz won £600,000 after she was suspended for joking about being a friend of terror chief Osama bin Laden.

While in 2005, Dr Feyi Awotona, an NHS consultant gynaecologist, won £1.6million after a race bias fight.

She was told she would not succeed at South Tyneside District Hospital because she was black and a woman.

j.clench@the-sun.co.uk