John Muir Trust chief executive exonerated of any wrongdoing after investigation: Wildland charity hints he was subject of 'false allegations'

The chief executive of wildland conservation charity the John Muir Trust (JMT) is set to return to work after being cleared of any wrongdoing by an independent investigation.

JMT, which owns Quinag and Sandwood Estates in north-west Sutherland, has never revealed exactly what accusations David Balharry had been facing, citing issues of privacy.

However, it has now been hinted that Mr Balharry could have been the subject of “false allegations”.

JMT confirmed in July that he had been placed on leave pending the outcome of an independent review.

At the time a spokesperson for the trust said: “The John Muir Trust board must ensure that while this independent investigation is under way, all parties concerned are treated with fairness, equity and respect for their privacy.”

JMT issued a statement earlier this morning on the outcome of the investigation.

The statement read: "The John Muir Trust has fully exonerated its chief executive, David Balharry, following an independent investigation."

Board chairperson Jane Smallman said: “We are delighted to have David return and pleased that we can now get back to focussing on our core objectives of protecting and restoring wild places for the benefit of communities, climate and nature.

“Following this investigation we will now seriously address what we can do, to better protect staff from false allegations in future.

"The board of trustees would like to thank the staff for continuing to work with professionalism and passion during what has been a difficult period."

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.