The employee agreed to speak under anonymity
Photo: Yaron Brenner
Disciplined civil servant gets bonus
Civil Service Commission disciplinary court finds former consul general to San Francisco guilty of scheming against subordinate, exploiting seniority, but Foreign Ministry appoints him to another prestigious post in U.S.; employee who filed complaint against consul general says, ‘I do not believe such a person can represent Israel. It is very frustrating that he continues to do his job as though nothing has happened’
Can a senior civil servant who was disciplined for scheming against one of his employees be permitted to hold a prestigious post in the U.S.? Apparently so: Yossi Amrani, the former Israeli consul general in San Francisco, was recently appointed to a similar position in another consulate in the U.S.
It all started when an employee in the Israeli consulate in San Francisco filed a complaint against then-Consul General Yossi Amrani, claiming Amrani had continuously schemed against him.
“He was obsessive towards me,” the employee, who agreed to speak under condition of anonymity, said.
The employee was initially hired as the consul’s clerk; he was later appointed to a higher-ranking position, but was eventually fired after he had spoken to Amrani about two job offers he had received from the Jewish Federation of San Francisco.
Amrani met with the Federation’s director and told him the employee’s performance level had dropped and that he had lost trust in the employee.
Following the meeting the consulate fired the employee, claiming his performance level at work was deteriorating, that he lacked credibility and that he attempted to obtain a license to work in the U.S.
'What kind of message does this send to the public?'
Amrani ordered that the termination go into effect immediately thereafter and instructed consulate staff to prevent the employee from entering the premises.
The worker’s complaint led to an investigation, and last February Amrani was brought before the Civil Service Commission disciplinary court, where he was convicted, among other things, of exploiting his seniority, scheming against an employee and violating the Civil Servants’ Ethics Code Law.
The court withheld Amrani’s salary for one month and froze his diplomatic ranking for nine months.
However, the conviction did not deter the Foreign Ministry from recently appointing Amrani to the post of consul general in Houston - if only temporarily and informally.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Rachel Shani told Ynet in response, “The investigation into the matter did not find that Amrani harassed the employee, and his appointment to the Houston position is only temporary."
“The Civil Service Commission’s decision did not pose any constraints regarding Amrani’s future posts,” she added.
The employee said, “I do not believe such a person can represent Israel. It is very frustrating that he continues to do his job as though nothing has happened.”
Attorney Eyal Shternberg, who is representing the former employee, said in response to Amrani’s appointment, “What kind of message does this send to the public?”
