 However, ignoring both the Lever Report and the findings of the secretary's industrial tribunal, the National Audit Office (NAO) published a report in May 1997 that concluded that there was "no evidence" that Professor Pickering was "penalised or persecuted in any way" as a result of his actions as a whistleblower.The NAO report found that the vice-chancellor's secretary was also not victimised for whistleblowing.At the time of the publication of the NAO report, Pickering had been fighting for redress from the University of Portsmouth for four years; he sought to have the report withdrawn, arguing that it stood in the way of his chances of reaching a settlement with the university over his dismissal.