London: BBC chairman Richard Sharp resigned on Friday after a report found he broke the rules by failing to disclose the role he played in helping former British prime minister Boris Johnson secure an 800,000-pounds loan. The 67-year-old former Goldman Sachs banker said the investigation found he had breached the governance code for public appointments.
The independent review, led by barrister Adam Heppinstall, looked at Sharp’s appointment and his involvement in facilitating an 800,000-pound loan guarantee for Johnson - just weeks before the former prime minister appointed him.
“Indeed, I have always maintained the breach was inadvertent and not material, which the facts he lays out substantiate Nevertheless, I have decided that it is right to prioritise the interests of the BBC. I feel that this matter may well be a distraction from the Corporation’s good work were I to remain in post until the end of my term. I have therefore this morning resigned as BBC Chair to the Secretary of State, and to the Board,” Sharp said.