New Auditor General to be appointed next week, government hopes

The government hopes appoint a new Auditor General by next week, after outgoing AG Ibrahim Naeem was dismissed from his post by parliament earlier this week.

Assistant executive director and interim head of the Auditor General’s office, Mohamed Hussein, said according to the law Ibrahim Naeem was no longer the Auditor General and was not attending the office.

Hussein said he did want to reveal whether staff at the audit office were disheartened by parliament’s decision.

”We always work according to the policy of Auditor General at the time,” Hussein said.

The President’s Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair said the government was “seeking a capable and educated man for the position,” and hoped to fill the position next week.

“President Mohamed Nasheed has promised to appoint someone as capable and as educated as the former Auditor General,” Zuhair said.

Naeem was formally dismissed by parliament in a DRP-PA coalition-led no-confidence motion on Sunday, after corruption allegations were sent by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in a letter to a parliamentary sub-committee chaired by Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim.

The ACC also sent the case to the Prosecutor General’s office, seeking to initiate court proceedings.

Deputy Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem confirmed the office had received “a huge file of documents.”

“I don’t think [the case will be influenced by Parliament’s decision] as we look it from at a completely different angle,” Shameem said.

“It’s a different process to Parliament. We have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt whether or not he is guilty. Parliament decides on the basis of whether or not he was doing his job.”

Shameem said it would take “weeks” to decide whether the case would be forwarded to the court.

Meanwhile DRP Vice President and MP Ali Waheed said he wished Naeem “a bright future.”

Waheed said the 43-28 vote in favour of dismissal was successful due to votes from the Qaumee Party, Peoples Alliance and many independent MPs.

”This shows that even if a dictator tries to go against the law, the politicians of the country will not allow him do it,” Waheed said.

DRP held a ceremony at the DRP office following to the vote, to celebrate its victory in the no-confidence motion.

”We celebrated the victory as we had tried very hard for this,” Waheed said. ”We were arrested and police took us to Dhoonidhu and people tried for this so much.”

He said all the demonstrations over the weekend were because the MDP MPs “tried to deadlock the parliament.”

”We do not want parliament to be cancelled for even one day,” Waheed said.

He called on people to show the same effort when the parliament begins debate over the controversial decentralisation bill.

He said he do not want to say anything about accusations the Auditor General made against senior DRP officials in his audit reports.

”That will be decided by the court, whether they are true or not,” he said.

Zuhair claimed that the vote against the Auditor General proved the DRP had “the best interest of their political party in mind and not the best interest of the country.”

He said Naeem’s reports contained accusations against former government ministersare now independent MPs.

”That’s why they voted the way they did in the no-confidence motion,” Zuhair said.

He added that the audit report was not only the work of the Auditor General, “but a big team in the Audit Office.”

Minister for Home affairs Mohamed Shihab is another government official facing a potential no-confidence motion from the DRP, in response to a police decision to detain Waheed and several other senior DRP leaders.

Shihab said he would not comment on prospect of a no-confidence motion against him “until I receive notice of it from parliament.”

Spokesperson for Maldivian Democratic Party Ahmed Haleem did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.

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8 thoughts on “New Auditor General to be appointed next week, government hopes”

  1. Ali waheed, if there's any dictator ruling this country there won't be any politicians in this country, like your semi GoD dictator maumoon was ruling this country in past thirty years all the politicians were behind bars.. i think you should take some classes in political science .. what a shame in the name of member of parliament who doesn't understand basic features of a dictatorship .. lol, how much did maumoon spend on your studies while you were in Malaysia .. and running all those gossip sites against the opposition MDP, Mr dishonorable Ali waheed?

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  2. “It’s a different process to Parliament. We have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt whether or not he is guilty. Parliament decides on the basis of whether or not he was doing his job.”
    Mr. Shameem is wrong there, the parliament doesn't do anything on any basis other their own party basis.

    While on the subject, the parliament is a joke now...its worse then 'mas market'. They need to learn manners before going about making laws. Alas, they'll never learn 🙁

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  3. I agree with Ali Waheed. Current politicians forget that the only reason they are able to speak the way they do today and walk freely on the streets without being arrested is because current MDP government is completely different from previous dictator of Maldives. People were put to prison just for criticizing the Gayyoom regime just as Saddam did to his political opponents in Iraq.

    The news media at that time could not say anything against the government or publish something against the government without being shutdown or the editors put in prison without any chance to defend themselves in a court of law - or even get a lawyer. Simple basic rights which small kids could understand were not allowed by previous government. Where was the opposition to dictator during that time. Where was these righteous DRP members at that time?

    I always believe that it is good to respect the people who speak out against injustice when it was risky and dangerous to do so. Not when the threat is gone and everyone is able to say anything they want. Anyone can speak out when there is no threat of torture and abuse. But when there was this fear.. how many spoke out from a population of 300,000?

    Even some good characters inside the Gayyoom government at that time stayed silent out of fear. Others only joined or changed sides to MDP when MDP had grown stronger of which a few like the previous AG who allowed journalist to be arrested and tortured in prison to please the President of that time and to squash any opposition that existed.

    I do not remember many of the previous government representatives ever being held accountable for their corruption to this date. Why not bring up previous government corruption info in the parliament next time DRP tries to claim they are on the right path. To me neither MDP or DRP is currently on the right path. But MDP is currently the most politically mature side from all parties at the moment. Anni is keeping a very cool head without making any harsh decisions which shows strong character and patience. This is why he had so much root support in the last election.

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  4. the government was “seeking a capable and educated man for the position,”

    just a man? why not a woman?

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  5. DRP MP Ali Waheed "called on people to show the same effort when the parliament begins debate over the controversial decentralisation bill."

    Let this be a message to Ali Waheed and his fellow conspirators that we will not tolerate remnants of the former regime hijacking this nation, taking the parliament hostage, and blocking essential bills. While we are fed up of petty party politics and the circus run in the parliament by members of the largest two parties, we will not tolerate the disruption of any Bill that promises to provide greater equality and social justice to the people. The struggle continues....

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  6. if anni was handed over govt, with old constitution, anni will be worse than gayoom. anni will not dare to modify it to bring democracy. grow up kids, democracy is just a right word to be used to find a way to power in absence of democracy. the reality today is even if anni wish he cannot just simply order police to detain someone. today there are forces, obligations, laws outside anni's power so that he could not do run the state like a tyrany. but inspite of this he is planing things and he is attempting to do injustice, tyrany, and do whatever he pleases. his PPP program is nothing but an ambition agenda of dictatorship, with PPP he can get control of Civil Service employees, he can run TVM the way he want, he can sell national things to whoever he pleases (with a cut to his friends and families). you all should be thankful to ppl like ali waheed who is actually fighting for the survival of this democracy. in time, if anni succeed his ways, ppl will be fed up of democracy, ppl will start believing everyone who is in power are corrupt and it will create a tendency in mass public opinion to become corrupt. this is exactly what anni want, he will use corruption to maximum extent, to remain in power. today opposition have hard time to convince outside world that anni is not a democrat, but rather a dictator in the shadow of democracy. but today or tomorow there will be enough evidences, despite conservative friends, h&K staffs, his missionary friends helping him.

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  7. Maldivian Rebels, Ali Waheed got your message, he is so afraid...what you gonna do?

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