President’s member on the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) Aishath Velezinee has referred the judicial watchdog to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), accusing it of embezzling state funds by awarding a ‘committee allowance’ contrary to Article 164 of the Constitution.
Article 164 states that “A member of the Judicial Service Commission who is not a member of the Executive, the Judiciary, or the People’s Majlis shall be paid such salary and allowances as may be determined by the People’s Majlis.”
Only JSC members Velezinee, Sheikh Shuaib Abdu Rahmaan and lawyer Ahmed Rasheed are paid salaries as they do not hold state posts.
However Velezinee has alleged that all commission members – including those with state incomes – are earning Rf 500 for each commission meeting and Rf 300 for each committee meeting, and claimed that these allowances were not approved by the parliament and were therefore unlawful.
The budget for the JSC commission members, obtained by Minivan News, confirms Velezinee’s claims that JSC members are in some cases receiving up to Rf 9000 (US$700) a month as a ‘committee allowance’; a total of Rf 514,660 (US$40,000) in 2010.
“JSC members have been taking allowances for the meetings and committees they attend stating that this has been decided by JSC,” Velezinee said.
“The decisions in the JSC defer day to day depending on the views of the members present at the time. This decision has no legal backbone to support it and will not at all make any sense to a sane person.”
Furthermore, she said, “the JSC is not independent. Some members use their position, power and connections (including with judges and the Judges Association of the Maldives) to spread absolute lies to discredit and defame me which has prevented me from carrying out my responsibility according to the Constitution.”
The JSC, she noted, had not even provided her chair in which to sit for over a year. “Every time I sit down somewhere in the office they find another use for the space the next day. Junior staff don’t even seem to think I’m a member of the commission.”
Velezinee said she has repeatedly asked the Commission to stop paying the allowance into her bank account, “even giving them cheques for the money”, but says she is always met with prevarication. The budget shows that Attorney General Ahmed Ali Sawad, also a JSC member, has declined to receive any money from the Commission.
Despite drawing the allowances that Velezinee alleges are fraudulent, the Commission also failed to investigate any of the 140 complaints against judges sent to it in 2010. Furthermore, 122 complaints sent to the Commission in 2009 were rejected “as irrelevant.”
A statement issued by the JSC claimed that parliament had approved the allowances.
”Although that is the truth, on January 10, 2011, Presidential Member of the Commission Aishath Velezinee misinformed the media about this without clarifying the matter,” read the statement. ”We advise her to uphold the code of conduct as mentioned in article 17 of the Judicial Service Commission.”
Yesterday JSC President Adam Mohamed and Vice President Dr Afrasheem Ali called a press conference in the JSC’s meeting room, but cancelled it after Velezinee attended the press conference and sat with the journalists.
The press conference was later held in Maldives National Broadcasting Corporation (MNBC) studio without Velezinee being informed.
During the conference, when journalists questioned why the first meeting was canceled, Adam replied that no members of the commission other than those who the commission decided could attend were permitted to attend the press conference.
Haveeru reported Deputy Commissioner Dr Afrasheem Ali as saying the constitution did not say that the allowance could not be given unless the parliament approved it.
The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has said it will begin investigating the case as a serious issue.
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Damn the corruption in this country hehe.
No telling where evil creepeth, no telling where dark deeds are conspiring, and no telling who is watching, `n come doomsday this country would be left to grannies to pick up from where we left, don matter how hara-n our legacy may have been.
The old maxim holds true, those who fail to learn from the mistakes of history are doomed to repeat it. And come 23rd I'll be celebrating. Soap and all.
We, the people, are everywhere, and nothing conspires without us having preempted it...learn to live with it
______________
Juman_health pfft
According to Article 164 ...salary and allowances must be determined by the People’s Majlis.
Dr Afrasheem Ali says the constitution did not say that the allowance could not be given unless the parliament approved it.
Hilarious...Who gets this joke?
Robinson, I was wondering why you missed to report that Velezini is one of the corrupt members of the commission who was getting these allowances.
http://www.haveeru.com.mv/?page=details&id=105758
I salute Dr. Sawad. Without him Anni government would be a 100% corrupt government.
and people like Adam Mohamed are to interpret laws for us (in supreme court)? disappointing.
Velezinee is a brave woman, salute! What a corrupt organization this JSC is, unbelievable
The Judiciary and Parliament of Maldives is believed to controlled by the so called "silent coup members". These people will attack anyone who seeks truth. The attack on broad daylight to Vel shows the way this Mafia works and the reality of conspiracy. Anni must find ways to stop them before its too late. I as a Maldivian want a government which can provide justice as per the constitution and do not want just a names sake independent judiciary.
I heard Velezinee also earned 40,000+ for this job. So, what is she trying to say?
Curtis Walker and Sherilyn Richardson have stolen $30, 000 from the bank accounts of retarded individuals in their care. They run a group home on 16th St in NYC, It is owned by a large organization and they have pocketed thousands under the radar. Everyone around them knows but won't say anything. This has been going on for at least 3 years. Small scale embezzlement and corruption on a large scale.
Velezinee is an alien and a hypocrite!
What is this when she herself saved and pocketed money from committee allowances?
The JSC says it's all sanctioned in the budget, so how can it be defined as embezzlement?
What is the President's con artist up to?
What happened to her latest drama "Villain and Victim"?
Isn't it a flop?
@heck
You really are an idiot aren't you?
Again, totally anti-Velezinee. This is not all about the character of Velezinee. It's about exposing these judges for what we all know they are. So I'm guessing you're pro-corruption? I feel sorry for people like you, mind of a child, brain washed into stupidity. Let's decipher what you have just said:
1) "Velezinee is an alien and a hypocrite!
What is this when she herself saved and pocketed money from committee allowances?"
- I believe she is neither. She simply works for the people of this country. Stands up on behalf of the people to expose these old corrupt cronies for stealing our money. Does that bit not bother you, the fact that these judges are corrupt?
- She is legally paid for what she does and I'm sure only takes allowances given to her as she is not the president, a member of his cabinet, she is not in the judiciary or in the Majlis:
Article 164 states that “A member of the Judicial Service Commission who is not a member of the Executive, the Judiciary, or the People’s Majlis shall be paid such salary and allowances as may be determined by the People’s Majlis.” You don't have to look far, it's in the article you dope. Also, check this out, she is asking that they stop paying her the embezzled funds and they are refusing to do so: http://www.velezinee.aishath.com/content/full-text-letter-jsc-stop-depositing-embezzled-state-funds-my-bank-account. It's not about the corruption of Velezinee, it's all about the corruption of the judiciary, or is this just a little too complicated for your brain-washed soul?
2) "The JSC says it’s all sanctioned in the budget, so how can it be defined as embezzlement?"
- These allowances were not approved by the parliament and were therefore unlawful. The JSC seems to say what it likes even though the evidence exists that proves that it is corrupt to the core but yet pea brain people like you believe what the JSC say on our biased media. You should delve further into things and start using your brain and logic. Remember this commission is responsible for cleaning up our corrupt judiciary. The judiciary is one of the 3 powers in the game of democracy, the other 2 being the Majlis and the president. The speaker of Majlis actually sits on the commission. So if the judiciary continues to be corrupt, so too will the Majlis. It's all a big ring of inter-connected corruption at the highest level. Do you understand that? I seriously doubt it 🙂
3) "What is the President’s con artist up to?"
- I wouldn't call someone who's trying to expose corruption and has posted actual evidence, including audio, on her website a con artist. Where's the logic in that? And yes, that's "evidence", you should learn what that word means and provide some of your own once in a while instead of these stupid baseless statements with absolutely no evidence or splurting out extremist crap that has nothing to do with the subject at hand.
4) "What happened to her latest drama “Villain and Victim”?
Isn’t it a flop?"
- If you are referring to her being stabbed in the back 3 times by some coward, by the looks of things she has recovered. She continues to fight for justice. So by the sounds of it, you are agreeing with Velezinee being attacked? Aren't you meant to be religious? What's your latest drama? You haven't splurted any passages from the qur'an on this article or redirected the discussion to religion which makes a nice change I have to say. What is a flop is dumb ass nitwit pea brain idiotic people like you in this country that should crawl back to Saudi where you are actually thought of as humans. I don't blame you personally, it's the poor educational system and a dictatorship which moulded you into this creature.
lets have an immediate termination for all of them.cant they realize that they eating all the money which belongs to all Maldivian. Their belly full of corrupted money.
How come they can judge in a fair manner. I'm 100% sure they only need money.who ever gives them more they will satisfy that person.
its a shame that they go on TV channels and open their corrupted mouth for the public.you all sucks!