BBC. BBC CEO Richard Sharp resigned on Friday after a report suggested he failed to disclose a potential conflict of interest over his role in arranging a loan for the former prime minister Boris Johnson in 2021.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, LONDON – BBC CEO Richard Sharp resigned on Friday (28/4/2023) after a report alleged he failed to disclose a potential conflict of interest over his role in arranging loans to a former prime minister Boris Johnson in 2021. Sharp helped set up a line of credit for Johnson, weeks before he was named CEO BBC on the recommendation of the government.
Sharp introduced Johnson to a wealthy Canadian businessman, Sam Blyth. Blyth then made an £800,000 loan to the Conservative Party, then led by Johnson.
Sharp said he was stepping down to put the BBC’s interests first after an accidental breach of the rules. “I feel that this issue could affect the good work of the company if I stay on until the end of my term,” Sharp said.
Sharp said he would stay at the BBC until the end of June. A report into the scandal has been released by senior attorney Adam Heppinstall. In its report, Heppinstall found that Sharp failed to disclose potential conflicts of interest.
The BBC is a public broadcasting institution funded by the state budget. The BBC has an obligation to be impartial in its news coverage. But the BBC is often political football.
The BBC was hit by a storm of free speech and political prejudice in March when prominent sports presenter and former England footballer Gary Lineker criticized the government’s immigration policies on social media. Lineker was then suspended. He returned to the air after sports presenters, analysts and other Premier League players boycotted the BBC in solidarity.
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