FIA says 'due process followed' in employee exit after sexism allegations against president

Mohammed Ben Sulayem was elected president of the FIA successful December 2021

The FIA says "due process was followed" successful the departure of a erstwhile worker aft sexism allegations emerged against its president.

Rao was the FIA's erstwhile interim caput wide for motorsport, who near aft conscionable six months successful the role.

An FIA spokesperson said Rao near pursuing an "amicable discussion".

BBC Sport has been told by a elder root that the missive does exist.

Any probe into whether the president of motorsport's governing assemblage has been blameworthy of a breach of its codification of morals has to beryllium reviewed by the organisation's Senate, according to the FIA's statutes.

Responding to a bid of questions from BBC Sport astir the circumstantial allegations and Ben Sulayem's wider behaviour arising from the report, the FIA said successful a statement: "Due process was followed, with an amicable dialog conducted by the president of the legislature and, arsenic such, nary referrals were made to the morals committee.

"As antecedently stated, some parties agreed she would permission her presumption successful November 2022 and communal privateness presumption were agreed, arsenic is communal concern practice."

Referring to wider allegations of bullying and abusive behaviour by Ben Sulayem, the connection said: "There person been nary complaints received against the president."

The connection added: "The FIA takes allegations of maltreatment precise earnestly and addresses each complaints utilizing robust and wide procedures.

"As portion of this, the FIA has an anti-harassment policy, an anonymous whistleblowing installation and an probe process and each unit are made alert of these done an induction and regular training."

The allegations reported astir Rao are the latest successful a bid of controversies to embroil Ben Sulayem since helium became FIA president successful December 2021.

His archetypal afloat twelvemonth successful bureau saw him choler teams and commercialized rights holder F1 with his attack to a bid of regulatory issues, including blocking for six months a program to rise the fig of 'sprint' events for 2023, and a prohibition connected drivers wearing jewellery which galore saw arsenic a targeted onslaught connected Lewis Hamilton.

Over the winter, his comments connected the worth of F1 pursuing a study astir a imaginable merchantability of the athletics led to him receiving a 'cease and desist' missive from F1's lawyers, emphasising that helium had nary powerfulness to intervene successful commercialized issues and threatening ineligible action.

He was besides forced to back-track connected a caller regularisation that prevented drivers from speaking retired connected delicate issues.

And determination was wide outrage successful the athletics erstwhile historical sexist comments emerged from an aged website successful which Ben Sulayem said helium did "not similar women who deliberation they are smarter than men… for they are not successful truth".

The FIA said astatine that clip that the remarks did not bespeak his existent beliefs.

In the aftermath of the controversies, Ben Sulayem announced that helium was stepping backmost from day-to-day engagement successful F1, and acceptable up a caller absorption operation to oversee the FIA's blue-riband category.

Ben Sulayem has appointed the FIA's archetypal main enforcement officer, Natalie Robyn, a erstwhile automotive manufacture executive, and its archetypal equality, diverseness and inclusion advisor, Ukrainian Tanya Kutsenko.

The FIA connection added: "As portion of the restructuring of the FIA that was initiated by the President and nether the enactment of our caller CEO, we are actively reviewing the entirety of the FIA organisation with a deliberate and sustained effort to make an fantabulous civilization that fosters collaboration, empowerment, and intent among our employees.

"Should the FIA morals committee oregon compliance serviceman person immoderate ailment from a subordinate of unit it volition beryllium dealt with successful a broad mode by our sheet of autarkic elected morals committee members which has been successful spot since 2012."