Banker fired for ’emotional terrorism’ wins $1.8m for wrongful termination Business

A banker fired for ’emotional terrorism’ and verbal ‘waterboarding’ of his team has been awarded $1.8m (£1.4m) for wrongful dismissal.

Omar Alami, who earned around £1million a year running a trading desk at BNP Paribas, won his case against the French bank after it fired him in 2019 following complaints from colleagues about his explosions on the floor.

A Paris labor court ruled that Mr Alami was unfairly dismissed on Tuesday, but further details of the decision are not expected for several weeks, Bloomberg reported.

An employee of Mr Alami’s team said he was so traumatized by his behavior that he accused him of ’emotional terrorism’ which left him feeling ‘waterboarded’.

Mr Alami was also accused of describing a subordinate as ‘useless’ and ‘incompetent’ in front of colleagues over a potential €800,000 mistake which turned out to be a false alarm.

The Paris-based financier denied the accusations at a hearing last month, arguing that one of his responses was merely “sharp” while the claims of others were anonymous, making them difficult to counter.

“I was never humiliating, I was never insulting or aggressive,” he said.

Aurélie Fournier, a lawyer for BNP, said last month that the bank noticed problems with Mr Alami’s communication style and sent him for coaching courses, but did not realize the extent of the problem. problem until people complain.

“It is quite rare for people from the prosecution to speak out,” she told the judges.

It is the latest lawsuit over behavior in the financial sector as workers clash over what they deem to be acceptable office conduct.

In another London case, a UBS trader claimed the Swiss bank had a “toxic” work environment where people yelled at staff across the trading floor. The bank’s lawyers suggested that this kind of pressured atmosphere “is the inescapable reality of the job of a City tradesman”.

BNP Paribas did not respond to requests for comment.

Representatives for Mr. Alami, who were demanding a $4 million payout in compensation, did not respond to a Bloomberg request for comment.