51ÁÔÆæ

The Tribunal found that the facts of the case created a situation in which a fair-minded observer would have concluded that there was a real possibility that the presence of that senior official on the interview panel would lead to a reasonable perception of bias. It was thus unreasonable for that Panel member not to, at least, have raised the matter of a perceived conflict of interest with the panel and, ultimately, not to have recused himself from sitting on it. However, since there was no evidence that the presence of the senior manager had an impact on the outcome of the selection process...

The Tribunal found that the Organization failed to fulfil its obligations by not making timely payments to the Applicant under art. 11.2(d) of Appendix D for the two periods concerned, and that the amounts paid to the Applicant did not compensate him for the delay in payment as they should have. The Tribunal awarded the Applicant material damages in the amount of USD29,261.86 plus CHF10,544.50, and compensation for any additional taxes due by the Applicant, upon presentation of his tax declarations to the Respondent, resulting from the receipt of a lump sum of USD72,266.46 in 2015, instead of...

The Tribunal found that requiring candidates to such a post to type in Russian their answers to the written test was not unfair or unreasonable and noted that, in any event, this requirement was eventually lifted at the Applicant¡¯s request. The fact that graders may have been able to identify his test because it was handwritten or the fact that the Applicant was advised that he was allowed to handwrite shortly before the written test deadline do not vitiate the test, as they arise from the Applicant¡¯s desire to and result from the Administration¡¯s efforts to accommodate his concerns. Also, the...

The Tribunal found that filling a vacancy by laterally transferring a staff member holding the same grade and within the department of the vacant post, without undergoing a full-fledged selection procedure under the staff selection system, does not per se violate the applicable legal framework. Lateral transfer under sec. 2.5 of ST/AI/2010/3: Sec. 2.5 of ST/AI/2010/3 explicitly provides for the possibility of transferring staff within their departments or offices to job openings at the same level without following the procedures laid down in the staff selection system. This provision does not...

The Tribunal found that it was established by clear and convincing evidence that the Applicant had had sexual intercourse with two persons under the age of eighteen and that the sanction of dismissal, together with a fine, were proportionate to the established misconduct. This conclusion was independent from the outcome of the judicial proceedings before the national courts of Kosovo with respect to the violation(s) of the CCK. Standard of review of disciplinary matters: In reviewing disciplinary matters, the Tribunal must examine(1) whether the facts on which the disciplinary measure was...

The Tribunal found, on receivability, that this amounts to an appealable administrative decision, insofar as it had direct effects on the Applicant¡¯s rights, and on the merits, that filling a vacancy by laterally transferring a staff member holding the same grade and within the department of the vacant post, without undergoing a full-fledged selection procedure under the staff selection system, does not per se violate the applicable legal framework. Direct legal effects: A decision to fill a given vacancy through a lateral movement has direct legal effects on the rights of potential candidates...

The Tribunal found that after a first positive evaluation in 2012, the Applicant¡¯s first reporting officer had put the Applicant on notice in respect of what she perceived as shortcomings in the Applicant¡¯s performance, at the beginning of the performance cycle 2013/14. It found, however, that the Rebuttal process was marked by serious procedural flaws and ruled that the final decision on the rebuttal, confirming the Applicant¡¯s PAS rating for the cycle 2013, was illegal and could not stand. Therefore, and since the decision not to extend the Applicant¡¯s appointment beyond 30 June 2014 was...

The UNDT found the application irreceivable in respect of one position due to the Applicant¡¯s failure to file a request for management evaluation within the applicable time limit. With respect to the remaining three posts, the Tribunal found that the decision not to select the Applicant for the position of Chief of Section (Procurement of Services) was unlawful, and that the other two selection decisions were not. Consequently, the Tribunal rescinded the decision not to select the Applicant for the position of Chief of Section (Procurement of Services), set the amount of alternative...

In the Applicant¡¯s view, the Hiring Manager¡¯s alleged favoritism of the candidate finally selected was evidenced by the 19-month delay in advertising the post and a change in the standard language of the experience requirements, without which the successful candidate would have been ineligible. However, the evidence showed that said factors did not have a significant impact on the candidate¡¯s eligibility. Moreover, the slight lowering of the experience criterion was not originated by the Hiring Manager and, while he delayed the advertising he did so to ensure his alternative employment in case...

The Tribunal found that the letter of 9 June 2015 constitutes, in essence, merely the implementation of the earlier decision to separate the Applicant from the Organization for reason of post abolition. The termination of the Applicant¡¯s appointment was already adjudicated by Judgment Seyfollahzadeh UNDT/2015/037, affirmed by the Appeals Tribunal in its Judgment Seyfollahzadeh 2016-UNAT-620. The Tribunal thus found that the matter was res judicata, and rejected the application. Res judicata: If a termination letter constitutes the mere implementation of an earlier decision to terminate the...