Professor Robert Watson was reinstated last week at the University of Durham following a landmark ruling by the Court of Appeals.

The professor of financial management was originally suspended in 2007 following allegations of racism and harassment made against him by members of staff.

The initial suspension came shortly after Professor Watson raised concerns about possible acts of plagiarism by ex-don Prof. Antonio Antoniou, who resigned in September 2007, after allegations were made that he had plagiarised his PhD thesis at York University.

In an email sent around to Durham University staff in December of 2007, Vice-Chancellor Chris Higgins said that allegations of intimidation, harassment and racist behaviour had been made against Professor Watson.

“Because of the serious nature of these complaints, and in order to expedite this investigation, I have decided it is necessary to suspend Professor Watson from duty without prejudice and with immediate effect from today,” Mr. Higgins wrote.

A source close to Professor Watson said: “Professor Watson claims these allegations were made, and the university acted so strongly upon them to silence him, as he was trying to raise concerns about more recent misconduct by Antonio Antoniou within the university.”

The University of Durham insists that Prof Watson's raising of concerns and his suspension are unrelated, dismissing any claims of whistle blowing.

A spokesperson at Durham University said: "On Friday [24 October 2008], the court of appeal ruled that the approach taken by the high court was incorrect and lifted the suspension on condition that Professor Watson gave an undertaking that he will not attend work until the disciplinary proceedings against him are concluded."

The ruling has an effect on university staff across the UK as it clarifies the procedure needed to dismiss an academic.

Dr Soran Reader, Professor Watson's Universities and Colleges Union representative, said: "This is a landmark ruling for higher education. It means universities will no longer be able to suspend staff at will. It strengthens the legal protections available to academics who challenge university decisions or raise sensitive issues in the interests of students or research.”

The appeals court ruled that even though Durham University had not acted in breach of contract, there was an arguable case that it had.

A University spokesperson said: “The Court of Appeal ruling has no implications for our disciplinary proceedings. These are continuing and the university has no further public comment to make."