Lecturer Fined $250 Over Conflict of Interest

The State Ethics Commission fined Harvard lecturer Badi G. Foster $250 last week for a technical violation of the state's conflict of interest law.

A provision of that law prohibits former state employees from being compensated for actions performed while in the service of the state.

Foster was president and main shareholder of Cedar Associates, a consulting firm which, in 1976, evaluated a federally funded program of the Cass Branch YWCA. While on a state committee reviewing grant proposals, Foster had earlier recommended the YWCA receive funding.

But the commission said it had no evidence that Foster had knowingly broken the law.

Foster said yesterday that, while on the three-person committee reviewing grants, he had no idea whether the YWCA would actually receive funding.

Thomas G. Shapiro '65, Foster's counsel, said yesterday the commission fined Foster only $250 because its members were convinced that Foster had not willingly violated the stature.