Disciplinary investigations: are not criminal in nature and the evidential standards that apply to criminal investigations do not apply. The decision maker cannot exclude the evidence obtained by an unlawful interview from consideration but the weight of the evidence obtained in unfair or unlawful circumstances should be treated with the utmost caution.
The Applicant’s separations from service were the result of the expiration of his fixed-term appointments in the natural course of business. There were no legal provisions or administrative decision requiring that the Applicant take any breaks in service between his FTAs. The time period between his separation from service on one FTA and his re-employment on another FTA, which was not followed by any type of reinstatement, results in the Applicant’s continuity of service being broken. Therefore, one of the cumulative conditions of ST/SGB/2009/10, to have five years of continuous service before...
Abuse of Process: Proceedings before the Tribunal are not the proper forum to advocate legal reform. Where the Tribunal determines that any applications before it are frivolous, vexatious and/or an abuse of the Court’s process, it will not hesitate to visit sanctions upon the offending party as provided for in the UNDT Statute. Vexatious Proceedings: An action may be held to be vexatious if it is obviously unsustainable, or frivolous, improper or instituted without sufficient ground to serve solely as an annoyance to the Respondent.
The UNDT examined its competence over the matter and found that it does not have jurisdiction over claims concerning individual contractors/consultants/national experts. As a result, the UNDT rejected the application by summary judgment without consideration of its merits.
The Applicants argue that the facts were not established and that their actions did not amount to misconduct, since they were acting in self-defense or in defense of someone else. The Tribunal noted that video evidence, i.e. hotel security camera footage, constituted the only reliable evidence to establish the facts in the instant case and concluded that the Applicants, who were on an official mission at the material time, initiated the dispute and the physical altercation and did not act in self-defense when they assaulted a security guard. Accordingly, the UNDT found that the facts...
The decision was taken on the grounds that the Applicant had failed to submit the essay required by the vacancy announcement. The Applicant argued that the decision was taken in retaliation of his activities as staff representative. The Tribunal found that the decision not to convoke the Applicant to the examination was justified since he failed to submit the one-page essay in French, which was clearly an eliminatory requirement indicated in the vacancy announcement. The UNDT further found that the Applicant did not submit evidence in support of his claim that the decision was taken in...
The Tribunal found that the Applicant had had a break in service which disrupted the eligibility requirement of five years’ continuous service with the Organization. Eligibility requirements: Whether a staff member is eligible for consideration has to be assessed against clear and objective criteria, which is not open to discretion. Break-in Service: In the context of the United Nations, a break in service consists of a certain period of time between two contracts, governed by the United Nations staff rules, during which a person is not employed by the Organization. Competence of decision...
Receivability Judgment Appealed: As the Applicant remains a staff member early resolution of this case is essential; the facts concerning the disciplinary case and the non-disciplinary issues of demotion are inextricably linked and all of the claims can be expeditiously heard together; the appeal against receivability will take several months to be resolved and will delay the determination of the disciplinary matter. Finally, the issue of receivability may be raised in an appeal against the final judgment on the merits. Written notice: Apart from the events which intervened, he suffered no...
The Applicant is “not contest[ing] the proportionality of the sanction(s) imposed”. Consequently, the Tribunal need only consider if not reporting another staff member’s violation ST/SGB/2004/15 was correctly considered by the Respondent as being the Applicant’s misconduct, whether his due process rights were respected and whether all the mitigating circumstances were taken into account. There is no evidence before the Tribunal that the Applicant requested, and was denied, either access to counsel or further opportunities to defend himself during the investigation conducted by OIOS. With...
Performance Evaluation: The career management system is a system that required mutuality and cooperation from both the supervisor and a staff member. The processing of the Applicant’s PAR was unlawful. It was completed in haste and in hindsight once a decision not to renew her contract was made. The finalisation of the PAR without any input from the Applicant was a serious breach of her right due process. The PAR had not been completed either at the time of the contested decision or the expiry of the Applicant’s FTA and the Administration proceeded with its decision not to renew the Applicant...
