Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ

2020-Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT-1029

Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT Held or Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT Pronouncements

Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT considered an appeal by the Commissioner-General. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA DT correctly concluded that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA had failed to provide sufficiently clear, precise, and intelligible reasoning and had not acted lawfully, reasonably, and fairly. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that once a staff member was eligible for EVR in accordance with paragraph 8 of Area Staff Rule 109. 2, paragraph 9 became applicable and its text was clear. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that Mr. El Madhoun was eligible for EVR and it was not established that budgetary constraints were either ground for rejecting his request for EVR or for not withdrawing his notice of termination of his appointment. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT dismissed the appeal and affirmed the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA DT judgment.

Decision Contested or Judgment/Order Appealed

The Applicant contested the decision to terminate his appointment in the interest of Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA had failed to adduce any evidence in support of its generic reasoning that the staff member¡¯s requests for early voluntary retirement were rejected due to lack of funds and/or budgetary constraints. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA DT found the termination decision to be illegal and ordered rescission or payment of compensation.

Legal Principle(s)

The discretion of the Commissioner-General of Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA to reject a request for Early Voluntary Retirement (EVR) on grounds of budgetary constraints is not unfettered. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA must use its discretion reasonably and properly, taking into account all relevant considerations. The reasoning for a harmful administrative decision must be sufficiently clear, precise, and intelligible. Generic reasoning befitting every case is insufficient and renders the decision unlawful.

Outcome

Appeal dismissed on merits

Outcome Extra Text

Reinstatement or financial compensation; Reinstatement or financial compensation

OAJ prepared this case law summary for informational purposes only. It is no official record and should not be relied upon as an authoritative interpretation of the Tribunals' rulings. For the authoritative texts, please refer to the judgment or order rendered by the respective Tribunal. The Tribunals are the only bodies competent to interpret their respective judgments, as provided under Article 12(3) of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT Statute and Article 11(3) of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT Statute. Any inaccuracies in the publication are the sole responsibility of OAJ, which should be contacted directly for any correction requests. To provide comments, don't hesitate to get in touch with OAJ at oaj@un.org.

The judgment summaries were generally prepared in English. They were translated into French and are being reviewed for accuracy of the translation.

Applicants/Appellants
El Madhoun
Case Number(s)
Registry
Date of Judgement
President Judge
Language of Judgment
Issuance Type