2019-Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT-906, Omwanda
Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT considered an appeal by the Secretary-General. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT exceeded its competence in reviewing Mr Omwanda¡¯s EOD date, as it was not subject to a timely request for management evaluation. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that Mr Omwanda knew or ought to have known from his Letter of Appointment the date from which his appointment was effective, that he had been re-employed, not reinstated, and that its terms applied regardless of any period of former service. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT was statutorily barred from hearing Mr Omwanda¡¯s application. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT upheld the appeal and vacated the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT judgment.
2019-Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT-907, Korduru
Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that the decision to separate the Applicant was arbitrary, discriminatory, constituted an abuse of authority, and was unlawful. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT was not obliged to set an in-lieu compensation amount, as the decision concerned a lateral transfer, not an appointment, promotion, or termination. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT upheld Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT¡¯s finding that Ms. Koduru¡¯s testimony was not compelling enough to serve as a basis for an award of moral damages. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT rejected Ms. Koduru¡¯s request for costs. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT dismissed the appeal and the cross-appeal and affirmed the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT judgment.
Accountability referral: The Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT...
2019-Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT-908, Rockcliffe
Ms Rockcliffe filed an application for execution of Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT judgment No. 2017-Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT-807. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that the crux of the matter for determination was whether Ms Rockcliffe¡¯s appointment to and her removal from, the Budget Working Group (BWG) in 2018 fell within the scope of Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT¡¯s order in the judgment. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that, although Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT had not explicitly addressed the issue of conflict of interest in its judgment, it impliedly rejected it by means of applying the law in force at the time. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that it was egregious that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµJSPF re-submitted that the previous decision not to give Ms Rockcliffe...
2019-Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT-909, Haroun
Noting that the Appellant, the innocent party, lost her employment, her career prospects within the Organisation, and the offending managers remained entrenched in their positions, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that there was a substantial variation or a striking disparity between the award made by Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT and the award that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT considered ought to have been made. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that, given that an order of reinstatement was unlikely to be implemented, a more generous award was justifiable in the circumstances. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT did not err in law or fact in denying moral damages, as there was no corroborating...
2019-Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT-910, Newland
Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT considered Mr Newland¡¯s application for interpretation of judgment No. 2018-Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT-820. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that, given that Mr Newland had already been paid Special Post Allowance, Hazard pay, and outstanding interest, the only questions requiring determination were whether he was entitled to payment of Rest and Recuperation (R&R), free tickets, and the relocation grant. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT accepted that there was a degree of uncertainty regarding these questions. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that Mr Newland¡¯s claim that he was entitled to the payment of R&R was unsustainable, as it was not an accruable benefit or entitlement. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT...
2019-Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT-911, El-Arqan
Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA DT committed an error of fact in stating that the OPT Allowance was paid in local currency, which led Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA DT to commit an error of law in stating that Area Staff Circular No. A/04/2014 was applicable. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that Area Staff Circular No. A/04/2014 was only applicable to the Jerusalem Allowance and not the OPT Allowance, which was paid in US Dollars. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that such an error of law would be inconsequential if its second line of reasoning, that no rule or policy requires the CAF be applied to the OPT Allowance, was correct. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that there was no rule requiring...
2019-Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT-912, Clemente
Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT considered Article 34 of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµJSPF Regulations which provides that a widow¡¯s benefit will be payable to the surviving spouse of a participant who was entitled to a retirement benefit at the date of his death if she was married to the deceased at the date of his separation from service and remained married to him until his death. In accordance with general principles of private international law, the validity of a marriage must be assessed and determined in accordance with the law of the place where the marriage was celebrated, being the law of the Philippines. The Supreme Court of the...
2019-Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT-913, Siddiqi
Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT had before it an appeal by the Secretary-General. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT erred in law and fact leading to a manifestly unreasonable decision when it held that Mr Siddiqi had not threatened to kill identified staff members but only had made an unspecified threat to kill ¡°some¡± staff members. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that the statements of the three witnesses rendered clear and convincing evidence that the Appellant did not only utter an unspecified threat but that he had threatened to kill identified staff members. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT also erred in law and fact when it concluded that threat was not serious...
2019-Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT-902, Nouinou
The Secretary-General appealed Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT¡¯s finding that the contested decisions to abolish Ms Nouinou¡¯s post, the consequent decision not to renew her two-year fixed-term appointment, and the refusal to re-assign her for two months under a zero-dollar incumbency, where she had been selected for a short-term position, were unlawful. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT made a grave error in law in terms of the basic legal position, which defined the subject of the litigation before it and the appeal. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that there was no administrative decision to terminate Ms Nouinou¡¯s contract prior to its expiration and...
2019-Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT-896, Harris
The Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT judgment was appealed by both parties. On the lawfulness of the decision to withhold salary, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that Mr Harris had not identified any grounds for his appeal and failed to demonstrate that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT had committed any error of fact or law in arriving at its decision. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that Mr Harris¡¯ case was fully and fairly considered and could find no error of law or fact in its decisions. On the cancellation of health insurance, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT found no reason to differ from the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT finding that Mr Harris did not make the appropriate payments to reinstate his health insurance coverage, thus...