Former President of the Anti-Corruption-Commission (ACC) Ali Rasheed Umar,who was proposed by President Mohamed Nasheed as the new Auditor General following a vote of no-confidence in Ibrahim Naeem, has been refused by parliament’s finance committee.
Opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Ahmed Nihan said Umar was failed “due to integrity issues.”
“Some questions were raised at the committee regarding issues of integrity,” said Nihan. “There were some claims made against him when he was the President of ACC, and some other issues.’’
Former Auditor General Ahmed Naeem was dismissed by a no-confidence motion in parliament.
Parliament voted to dismiss Auditor General Naeem with 43 in favour and 28 against, after the ACC accused him of corruption for using the government’s money to buy a tie and visit Thulhaidhu in Baa Atoll.
Naeem claimed the charges were an attempt to discredit his office and prevent him from reclaiming the government’s money stored in overseas bank accounts.
“A lot of the government’s money was taken through corrupt [means] and saved in the banks of England, Switzerland, Singapore and Malaysia,” Naeem claimed, demanding a financial audit of current and former government ministers. He was dismissed by the opposition majority parliament several weeks later.
Press secretary for the President Mohamed Zuhair was unavailable at time of press.
It seems on the one hand the opposition and some in the government wants to try and fix this huge political drift that has happened in the past weeks. Just because both sides had compromised in one issue, does not mean those that seeking power through unlawful means is just going to stop there. Im sure even in DRP there are good people that just does not like MDP as a party, but overall wants justice and transparency in the Maldives.
However I do not think that these good few are the ones in power or plays with the power in the background with their million dollars oversea bank accounts. If any money that was taken by any government is over thousands of dollars of public money, this is a serious issue which needs to be addressed. Buying a tie with your office money is just childish, not corruption - if compared to the millions that sits in private bank accounts of individuals linked to the previous government.
People need to let the government know that just because an agreement on an issue has been successful somewhat, it does not mean it has brought any justice to the victims of knife attacks yet. What I would like to see is these criminals behind bars and given capital punishment since Maldives follows Islamic Shariah where there is no clear punishment on a certain crime, etc.
It simply beggars belief that Jangiyaa Nazim has power over the nomination of the Auditor General. The guy has been identified as one of the most crooked leeches in this country and there are court cases lined up against him.
Does it look strange to anyone that a Committee led by him will appoint a neutral and strong armed Auditor General? We have the proverbial fox in charge of the hen house!
Jangiyaa Nazim to give 'marks' to people on integrity???? This is the biggest joke ever!
Jangiya Nazim giving marks on integrity is like HItler giving marks on humanity and racial tolerance
Once again, got to say, politics is a pathetic thing. A really truly pathetic thing.
@SS. Very true. And the leader who is inflicted with the illness of reform and freedom usually loses his legitimate constitutional power to the agents of the power of money. And thats genuine politics.
@ Addu - interesting why people choose the path of politics then, isn't it? Seems to me that for the vast majority it cannot be anything other than for individual ego-soothing and catering to some deep seated need for recognition and/or control, which in effect means that it cannot result in anything other that rhetoric and power plays. I hope and pray that our nation is able to develop a cadre of statesmen and women to become our future leaders in all areas, as opposed to just a bunch of shallow, self-serving, ego-driven politicians.