Ed Martin fired after quitting Nalcor, triggering $1.4M severance, says Dwight Ball

Premier Dwight Ball says that even thoughex-Nalcor CEO Ed Martin quit his job, he will still receive a hefty severance package because thecompany's board of directors fired him without cause the same day Martin announced he was stepping down.

The former CEO has come under fire for accepting a$1,387,815.74severance package in the wake of his resignation.

• $1.3M severance for Ed Martin from Nalcor

• Liberals shift blame for Ed Martin's severance

• Ed Martin steps down from Nalcor helm amid government criticism

Martin initially said on April 20 that he was resigning to spend more time with his family, even though the Liberal government had made no secret that it was not happy with Martin's leadership at Nalcor as well asthe Crown corporation's handling of the Muskrat Falls megaproject.

That very same day, Ball said,Martin was also fired without cause byNalcor's board of directors.

This triggered severance pay that Martinwould not have been entitled to receive ifthe board haddeemed his exit a resignation.

At the House of Assembly on Tuesday, Ball saidthat the decision was made independently of his government.

"It wasn't until May 5 that we became aware of the extent, the details around the severance package," he said.

"It was then that we did immediately respond."

While Ball maintains he did not know the details of severanceuntil May 5,CBC News reportedthe amount of Martin's severance on May 4.

He said the Department of Justice is currently investigating the payout.

"We've got the Department of Justice right now looking at the appropriateness of the severance package around Mr. Martin," said Ball.

Ball said he's unable to say for sure whether Nalcor board members committed any wrongdoing in rewarding Martin the severance, but that he agreed with a reporter's suggestion that the board's move was morally iffy.

On the evening of April 20, the day that Martin both announced his resignationand was fired bytheNalcorboard, theentireNalcorboard alsoresigned.

"I think that if someone steps aside and therefore they quit a job under the contract that's there, Iwould question the right of anyone getting a severance based on that."

A representative from Nalcor confirmed that on April 26, the nearly $1.4 million in severance was paid to Ed Martin.