SINGAPORE, Sept 3 — The East Asian Institute (EAI) of the National University of Singapore (NUS) is investigating several allegations by a staff member who claimed that she had been bullied for accusing a professor of sexual harassment.

She claimed that she had been given a "soft warning” by the NUS and EAI management, and had suffered "bullying and retaliations.”

The purported victim, who identified herself only as Charlotte, tweeted last month that a professor named Zheng Yongnian had sexually harassed her in May 2018 during her first month working at EAI.

She reported him to the police in May last year "after a year's struggle,” she wrote in her tweet. She added that the police investigations concluded in May this year and that Zheng was issued a warning by the authorities thereafter.

TODAY has asked the police to confirm that the report had been made and whether they were investigating.

The employee claimed that EAI was aware of Zheng's alleged behaviour but "pretend(ed) not to know.” She also accused the institute of "covering up.”

She tweeted: "It seemed that any victim (who) reported to EAI management will be bullied and then expelled from the institute in retaliation.”

In response to TODAY’s queries, an EAI spokesperson said that the institute is aware of the postings on social media containing "wide-ranging allegations with regard to the East Asian Institute and some of its current and former staff members.”

The spokesperson added: "We understand that a police investigation related to some of the allegations has been completed and the university is following up with its internal investigations into some of the matters mentioned in the post.”

Zheng has also resigned from the institute and NUS, and has been granted leave until the expiry of his contract later this month.

He was the director at the East Asian Institute for 11 years from 2008 to 2019. After stepping down, he remained at the institute as a research professor.

The Chinese national first came to Singapore in 1997 to become a researcher at the institute before he was appointed the director in 2008.

In an interview with The Straits Times after he stepped down as EAI director, Zheng said that he chose to resign from the post because he wanted to return to doing research as a scholar, as that was where his passions lie.

In a report by news publication South China Morning Post, it was stated that Zheng is the new head of global and contemporary China studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

The EAI spokesperson said: "The institute and the university take allegations of staff misconduct very seriously.

"The institute has been providing support and assistance to staff who may be affected by this matter and will continue to do so.” — TODAY