13/09/2016 OpinioJurisBlogArchiveGuestPost:TheAndersKompassCaseAMomentofOpportunityfortheUNInternalJusticeSystemOpinioJuris

GuestPost:TheAndersKompassCaseAMomentof
OpportunityfortheUNInternalJusticeSystem
byRishiGulati

[RishiGulatipracticesasabarristerinMelbourne.TheauthorhasnothadanyinvolvementwiththeKompasscaseandthispost
shouldnotbeconstruedaslegaladviceinanyformwhatsoever.]
HighlightingMrAndersKompassssuspensionfromdutiesasaseniorofficialattheUN,theGuardianrecentlyreportedthatMr
AndersKompass,aseniorUNstaffmember:

leakedaninternalUNreportontheallegedsexualabuseofchildrenbyFrenchtroopsinCentralAfricanRepublicto
Frenchprosecutorslastsummer.TheFrenchimmediatelymountedaninvestigationandrevealedtheywereinvestigating
upto14soldiersforallegedabuse.TheFrenchauthoritieswrotetothankKompassforpassingontheinternalreport
detailingtheabuse.

Notably,theUNsuspendedMrKompassfromhisjobattheUN,arguingthatMrKompassengagedinmisconductwarrantinghis
suspensionfromduties.ItisapparentthatthemisconductinquestionconcernsallegationsthatMrKompassbreached
confidentialitybysharingwithFrenchauthoritiesconfidentialunredactedpreliminaryinvestigativenotesaboutallegationsof
sexualabuseofchildrenintheCentralAfricanRepublic.
AsisreportedinthearticleintheGuardiancitedabove:

TheconfidentialinternalreportleakedbyKompasscontainedinterviewsbyaUNofficialandamemberofUnicefwitha
numberofchildren,agedbetweeneightand15,whosaytheyweresexuallyabusedatacampforinternallydisplaced
peopleinBangui,thecapitalofCAR,byFrenchtroopslastyear.Theinterimreportidentifiedabout10childreneffectedbut
theUNsaiditwaspossiblemanymorechildrenhadbeenabused.

AproceduralbackgroundtoMrKompassssuspension
Thekeyfactsarecontainedatparagraphs112ofthejudgmentoftheUnitedNationsDisputeTribunal(UNDT)inKompassv
SecretaryGeneraloftheUnitedNations,OrderonanApplicationforSuspensionofAction,5May2015.Insummary
(footnotesomitted):
MrKompassisemployedattheDirectorlevelattheOfficeoftheHighCommissionerforHumanRights(OHCHR),Geneva,
InJuly2014,anotherseniorOHCHRofficialprovidedMrKompassacopyofareportcontainingseriousallegationsofpaedophilia
allegedlycommittedintheCentralAfricanRepublicbyFrenchmilitary.MrKompassaysthathebroughtthecontentofthereportto
theattentionoftheDeputyAmbassadorofFrance.MrKompassstatesthatheinformedtheDeputyHighCommissioner(his
supervisorattheOHCHR)thathehadseenthereportandhaddiscussedtheallegationswiththeDeputyAmbassadorofFrance.
MrKompasssaidthatinresponsetoarequestfromtheFrenchPermanentMissiontotheUNinGeneva,hesharedthereportwith
thePermanentMission.MrKompasssaidthathesharedthisinformationwithhissupervisorattheOHCHR,theDeputyHigh
Commissioner(adisputedfact).
On6March2015,theHighCommissionerforHumanRights(HighCommissioner)becameawarethatMrKompassallegedly
leakedconfidentialinvestigativenotesconcerningallegationsofsexualabuse.
Itisuncontestedthaton12March2015MrKompasswasaskedtoresignbytheDeputyHighCommissionerwhowasultimately
relayingtherequestoftheUnderSecretaryGeneralfortheDepartmentofPeacekeepingOperations.MrKompassrefusedto
resign.
UponarequestbytheHighCommissioner,thebodyattheUNthatconductsinvestigationsofinternalstaffmisconduct,theOfficeof
InternalOversightServices(OIOS)wasthenaskedtoconductaninvestigationintoMrKompasssactions.
WhilsttheOIOSinvestigationwasonfoot,on17April2015,MrKompass,undertheinternalrulesoftheUN,wasplacedon
administrativeleavewithpay(ALWP).
ALWP,asthenamesuggestdisallowstheaffectedstaffmemberfromcontinuinginhisorherduties.BeingplacedonALWP
obviouslycancauseprofessionalandreputationaldamage,leavingasidetheemotionaldistressitmaycausetoastaffmember.
On29April2015,MrKompassaccessedtheUNDTrequestingreliefthattheALWPbesuspended,meaningthatifMrKompass
succeededinhisapplication,thenhecouldreturntohisduties.Toobtainrelief,MrKompossamongstotherthings,neededtoshow
thatthedecisiontoplacehimonALWPwasprimafacieunlawful,andthedecisionwouldcauseMrKompassirreparabledamage.
WhydidMrKompasshavetoaccesstheUNDTasopposedtoadomesticemploymenttribunal?
AstheUNenjoysimmunitiesbeforedomesticcourts,anaggrievedUNstaffmembercannotapproachadomesticcourt.
EmploymentdisputesbetweentheUNanditsstaffareheardbyatribunalsetupbytheUN,theUnitedNationsDisputeTribunal
(UNDT),andanappealstribunal,knownastheUnitedNationsAppealsTribunal(UNAT).Thesetribunalsapplyaspecialisedbody
oflawknownasinternationaladministrativelaw(IAL).IALgovernstheemploymentrelationshipbetweentheUNanditsstaff.IALis
aspecialisedbodyoflawthatincludesaspectsofadministrative,contractandinternationallaw.Itisbasedonboth,thecommonand
civillawtraditions.Whilelinksarediscernible,strictlyspeaking,IALshouldbedistinguishedfromthebroadernotionofGlobal
AdministrativeLaw(GAL),whichisanemergingbodyoflawfocusingontheincreasinguseofadministrativelawtypemechanisms,
inparticularthoserelatedtotransparency,participation,accountabilityandreview,withintheregulatoryinstitutionsofglobal
governance.SeehereforinformationontheGALmovement.

http://opiniojuris.org/2015/05/15/guestposttheanderskompasscaseamomentofopportunityfortheuninternaljusticesystem/ 1/2
13/09/2016 OpinioJurisBlogArchiveGuestPost:TheAndersKompassCaseAMomentofOpportunityfortheUNInternalJusticeSystemOpinioJuris
Itisworthnotingthatinthepast,seriouscriticismshavebeenlevelledattheUNconcerningthedeficienciesinitsinternaljustice
systemwherecasesoftentookyearstoresolve.In2009,afterdecadesofeffort,theUNcomprehensivelyredesigneditsinternal
justicesystem,creatingtheUNDTandtheUNAT.Foradiscussion,seeanearlierarticlebytheauthorhere.
So,istheredesignedsystemworking?TheKompasscaseisaprimeexamplethatwhilemuchmoreneedstobedone,progress
hasbeenmade.
WhatdidtheUNDTdecideintheKompasscase?
Bearinginmindthatthemeritsofthecasehavenotyetbeendetermined,ontheissueofprimafacieunlawfulness,theUNDT
concludedatpara34thattheUNofficialwhoplacedMrKompassonALWPdidnothavetheauthoritytodosoandcritically,the
decisiondidnotcomplywiththeinternalrulesoftheUN:

39.TheTribunalfindsthatneithertheinterestoftheOrganization,northeavoidanceofanyinterferencewiththe
investigationarereasonsintheexhaustivelistoftherespectiveadministrativeinstruction.Therefore,assuch,theycannot
beacceptedasvalidreasonsforplacingtheApplicantonadministrativeleave.

Ontheissueofirreparabledamage,theUNDTsaid:

49.Therefore,andsincetheApplicantiscurrentlybeingpreventedfromcarryingouthisfunctionsasaresultofbeingon
administrativeleave,whichisofpublicknowledge,theTribunalfindsthatifthesuspensionisnotgranted,theharmdoneto
theApplicantsreputationwillbeirreparableandcouldnotbeadequatelycompensatedatalaterstage.

MrKompasshasnowbeenreinstatedtohisposition.ThisdecisionoftheUNDTisundoubtedlyadecisionconsistentwiththe
maintenanceofUNaccountabilitytoitsveryownstaffmembers:ensuringthatUNmanagementactswithinthepurviewofits
internalrulesandprocedures.ThisisespeciallycriticalasUNstaffcannotapproachdomesticcourtsforremediesforbreachoftheir
termsofemployment.Mostcritically,thefactthatMsKompasscouldseekjusticewithinafewdaysofbeingplacedonALWPisa
testamenttotheinitialsuccessofthenewinternaljusticesystem.Undoubtedlysignificantissueswithwhistleblowerprotection
existattheUN,buttheKompasscaseprovidesanexamplethatthereisreasonforcautiousoptimismregardingaccesstojustice
foraggrievedUNstaffmembers.
ItbearsnotingthataspertheinformationintheUNDTsjudgment,MrKompasssappointmentattheUNexpireson8July2015.It
canonlybehopedthatanyrenewalofMrKompasssemploymentdoesnotattractretaliatoryaction.Thiscasecouldyetbesubject
toseveralmoretwists,anditiscrucialtomaintainaclosewatch.

May15th,20154:00PMEDT| TrackbackLink |
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