Harmony hits back at dissidents

THE BOARD of Harmony Leisure, under siege from rebel shareholders, has hit back with a letter to investors questioning the credentials of the boarding party.

In the strongly worded letter Harmony's chairman, Robert Dawson, accuses the dissidents of giving a less than frank account of their careers.

Mr Dawson also claims that the company's bank, Barclays, had made it a condition of its support that Stanley Lever, the chief executive, remained a director.

Andrew Martyr and Simon Lynch will propose motions to sack the board and have themselves appointed executive directors of Harmony at an extraordinary meeting on 26 November .

Mr Dawson alleges that literature from the boarding party had given the impression Mr Martyr was a full board director of Holiday Inns International, when in fact he was director of architectural services but not a board director.

'Holiday Inns International state that at no time was he ever involved in an operational role,' the board's circular adds.

It also claims that Mr Martyr is a director of Leander Leisure which allegedly is overdue in filing accounts for 1990-92.

Mr Dawson goes on to claim that Mr Lynch 'appears at this time not to be in regular employment'. He adds that Mr Lynch's experience stems from 'a few months of regional management of a few public houses owned by the family business, H H Finch'. But the letter accepts that Mr Lynch later became joint managing director of the company.

Mr Martyr refused to comment on the specific claims made by Harmony in the letter. 'I have not seen the circular and would wish to read it carefully before forming a response,' he said.

'But we will be writing to shareholders at the beginning of next week. We are reasonably sure that such a personal and innaccurate attack will not incur the pleasure of the shareholders.'