Court of Appeal judge Hilary Phillips has turned down an application by the Board of the Bethlehem Moravian College for a stay of execution of a Supreme Court order that former principal Dr Paul Thompson was improperly dismissed from the institution.

In handing down her ruling today Justice Phillips said in light of the fact that the Supreme Court made a declaratory order, a stay of execution could not be granted.

The board of the teacher’s college wanted the stay pending the outcome of its appeal.

A date is yet to be set for the appeal.

In making the application today, attorney at law Patrick Foster, who represented Bethlehem, outlined that when Dr Thompson filed the matter in the Supreme Court, no injunction was sought by him to prevent the board from filling the vacancy.

He said to ensure administrative efficiency at the college, the board went ahead and filled the post of principal after Thompson was dismissed.

Following today’s ruling Foster told our news centre that the Ministry of Education may need to intervene and help make arrangements to have Thompson placed at another institution in a similar post.

The Supreme Court had ruled that Thompson was improperly dismissed by the school’s board in 2008.

It said the disciplinary proceedings against Thompson were not fair as the hearing conducted by the personnel committee wrongfully rejected evidence of probative value.

Thompson was appointed principal of the Bethlehem Moravian College in 2003.