The Coalition for Accountability and Integrity (AMAN) called on the General Personnel Council (GPC) to take a stand towards the commission of inquiry recommendation against two employees of the Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC), Du’a al-Masri and Marwah Farah. The commission recommended that both employees be dismissed after they had reported suspicions of corruption at the SCC.
In a letter it sent to Mr. Mousa Abu Zeid, GPC Chairman, on 7 December 2020, AMAN made clear that, at this time, the commission’s recommendation might negatively reflect on encouraging the reporting of corruption and protection of whistleblowers. It would also run counter to the SCC reform approach, which needs to be monitored by the Palestinian Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC). Worth noting is that the GPC is in charge of public service and protection of employees.
Having pursued this case from its inception, AMAN stressed that the referral of both employees for administrative investigation was invoked by the fact that they reported suspicions of corruption against the SCC President. The PACC released a statement on the communication it received, confirming that the claims filed by the employees represented administrative infractions. Although they did not amount to suspicions of corruption, these violations were already stated in the State Audit and Administrative Control Bureau (SAACB) report on the SCC functions. The PACC was following up on correcting these administrative irregularities with the Court. This implies that there is a basis for the claims initiated by the employees, conferring a good faith character on their report. It reveals an improper administrative context at the SCC, which needs to be reformed in line with the PACC recommendations.
