A former minister has been accused of misleading the post-government appointments watchdog by failing to declare two meetings with an organisation supervised by the Bahraini government before taking up a paid advisory role.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, who served as the Middle East minister from 2017 to 2024, was cleared to take a part-time appointment with the King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence (KHC), which was established by royal decree and is supervised by the Bahraini ministry of foreign affairs.
In a letter published in April approving his role, the advisory committee on business appointments (Acoba) noted that Ahmad said he did not have “official dealings/contact” with the KHC during his time in office.
It also noted that Ahmad met the Bahraini foreign affairs minister in February and April 2023, but the content of the meetings extended beyond the KHC.
However, the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, a London-based human rights organisation, has filed a complaint to the committee based on evidence that suggests Ahmad had not disclosed meetings held with the KHC while he was the Middle East minister.
On February 13, 2022, Ahmad visited the centre with Roddy Drummond, the British ambassador to Bahrain at the time, according to the Bahrain News Agency. The meeting was listed on the full programme of the trip, which was released to the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy by the Foreign Office under freedom of information laws.
According to the Bahrain News Agency, the meeting “reviewed ways to enhance co-operation” between the centre and the Commonwealth, rejecting hatred and violence.
“The visiting British official was given a presentation on the objectives and local and international activities of the Center as a pioneering initiative of HM the King to promote tolerance, coexistence and common understanding among all human beings and their intellectual, religious and cultural diversity,” the agency added.
Ahmad is also reported to have praised Bahrain’s initiatives in support of tolerance and peace. In February 2023, he is said to have met Betsy Mathewson, the vice-chairwoman of the KHC. According to local media, he praised the centre and expressed a desire to strengthen relations with it.
Ahmad has faced criticism for his praise of Bahrain, which has been accused of systematically repressing opposition to the monarchy, torturing political dissidents and abusing migrant workers.
In June, he told the House of Lords that “major strides” were made in “alternative sentencing”, workers’ rights and freedom of religion. It is unclear how much he is earning for his part-time role at the centre.
Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, the advocacy director of the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, who filed the complaint, called for the approval of Acoba to be urgently reviewed in light of Ahmad’s contact with the KHC.
He also called for Ahmad to resign from his advisory role. “It is impossible to conclude that the risk of benefiting from his former role is low, given that he concealed his involvement with the centre while occupying a ministerial position,” Alwadaei said.
“Accepting a paid role from an abusive and corrupt regime is morally indefensible, and this revelation should cast serious doubt on the legitimacy of this appointment.
“Lord Ahmad must now step aside from this role and explain how he failed to declare his official visits to the centre, given the high-profile meetings he held with senior officials at the centre that dominated Bahrain’s headlines less than two years ago.”
In response to claims that he misled the committee, Ahmad said: “I have acted in full accordance with the requirements and processes of the Acoba process and my appointment is fully declared in my register of interests.”
A spokeswoman for ACOBA said: “ACOBA does not endorse any role; its function is to provide independent advice under the government’s business appointment rules to protect the integrity of government.
“The committee seeks information from the applicant and a former minister’s department before formulating its advice. ACOBA publishes its advice letters — including the information provided and consideration — on its website when a role is taken up.
“If there are allegations of non-compliance with the government’s rules or ACOBA’s advice, these will be investigated. Findings of any breaches are published online and reported to government.”
The KCH were approached for comment.
