Tag: auditor general

Parliament approves new auditor general

Parliament last night approved President Mohamed Nasheed’s appointment of Niyaz Ibrahim, of Thinadhoo in Gaaf Dhaal Atoll, as Auditor General.

Niyaz has voted in unanimously by all 68 members present during the meeting last night.

The Maldives has had no auditor general since the dismissal of Ibrahim Naeem over a year ago, following allegations that he had used government 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 had claimed in March, and requesting an audit of the assets of past and serving government ministers.

He was dismissed several days later in a motion put forward by the parliamentary finance committee, chaired by Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim, who the previous week had pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to defraud the former ministry of atolls development while be was Managing Director of Namira Engineering and Trading Pvt Ltd.

Tension over the motion led to violent clashes inside parliament, which spread to supporters of both major parties outside the chamber. Police were forced to use tear gas on several occasions to subdue crowds of violent demonstrators.

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President reportedly announces second auditor general nominee

The serving internal auditor at the Maldives Ports Limited has been forwarded by President Mohamed Nasheed as a candidate for the post of auditor general in an attempt to fill a position that has remained vacant for over a year, according to news reports.

Haveeru has reported today that Niyaz Ibrahim is expected to be nominated to parliament for the position pending committee review after attempts in December to appoint the former Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) President Ali Rasheed Umar were rejected. The decision led to allegations from the government that Rasheed Umar was the victim of a partisan plot to hinder the appointment.

Opposition politicians, who form a majority in the Majlis, claimed at the time that the vote against the appointment was related to ethical concerns over the candidate and called for greater consultation from the president on finding a nominee for the auditor general position.

The auditor general position has remained vacant since March 2010 when Ibrahim Naeem lost a parliamentary no-confidence motion by 43 votes to 28.

While the governing Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) voted to retain Naeem in the role, opposition MPs and a number of independent members voted against him over allegations of corruption.

Naeem stood accused of corruption by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for using the government’s money to buy a tie and fund a 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.

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Transparency Maldives urges parliament to expedite the appointment of Auditor General

NGO Transparency Maldives has called on the parliament and the executive to expedite the appointment of the new Auditor General.

“Some police investigations and several cases in court based on audit reports have been affected because of the missing Auditor General,” said the NGO’s spokesperson, Aiman Rasheed.

Aiman declined to reveal what the cases were and who they concerned.

‘’The executive has recently alleged that some of the parliamentarians are corrupt, and that could potentially be true, but we are demanding they expedite the appointment of the Auditor General. It’s been nearly five months now,’’ Aiman said.

Aiman noted that the Auditor General’s office was not functioning fully because there was no Auditor General.

“Although we have not said what the cases are and who they involve, we have relevant information that this issue has become an obstacle to the continuing the investigations and court trials,’’ he said.

Parliament in March voted to dismiss Auditor General Ibrahim Naeem, with 43 voting in favour of the no-confidence motion and 28 against, shortly after Naeem demanded a financial audit of past and present government ministers.

The Auditor General was accused of corruption by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for using the government’s money to buy a tie and visit Thulhaidhu in Baa Atoll.

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President’s nomination for Auditor General refused by finance committee

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.

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President Nasheed nominates Ali Rasheed Umar for Auditor General

The President’s Office has nominated former Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) President Ali Rasheed Umar as the new Auditor General.

A Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP)-led no-confidence motion in Parliament saw former Auditor General Ibrahim Naeem ousted from his post last month, shortly after he announced corruption allegations involving former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and senior members of both the former and current government.

Naeem was appointed as the first independent Auditor General in January 2008 by Gayoom, and his appointment was endorsed by the DRP-led Parliament. The post of Auditor General was created by Gayoom due to international pressure regarding the former government’s expenditure.

Umar was appointed president of the ACC in October 2008 and was head of the commission for eight months. Elections were then held for commission members, but he did not submit his name for the elections.

On 25 November 2008, Umar signed on behalf of the ACC, and Naeem as Auditor General, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for technical cooperation activities between the ACC and the Auditor General’s office. Both organisations were to exchange information and work together to eliminate corruption and promote good governance and accountability.

Press Secretary for the President’s Office Mohamed Zuhair confirmed Umar has been nominated by the president and his name has been forwarded to Parliament.

Zuhair said the Majlis should make their decision on whether or not they will endorse his nomination within the week.

“He is a qualified accountant and headed the ACC,” Zuhair said, adding that during the new government’s first week in office, Umar wanted to investigate the President’s Office’s financial records. “He performed very well [with the ACC].”

Zuhair added that Umar has no political affiliations to any party.

An on-going defamation case against Umar is in the Civil Court. Former member of the ACC Hassan Luthfee pressed charges against Umar for defamation, after Luthfee was accused of leaking ACC information for his personal gain.

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Nominee for new Auditor General will be ready next week: Zuhair

Press Secretary for the President’s Office, Mohamed Zuhair, confirmed the nomination for the post of Auditor General will be sent to Parliament next week, reports Miadhu.

According to the Constitution, the Auditor General must have the necessary academic qualifications to discharge his or her duties and shall not take any other job while posted as Auditor General.

The Auditor General must be nominated by the President and approved by Parliament. Zuhair said the government was giving the issue priority.

The post of Auditor General is vacant after a no confidence motion in Parliament against former Auditor General, Ibrahim Naeem.

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PG’s office sends corruption cases back to Auditor General’s office

The Prosecutor General’s office has returned cases against former government ministers forwarded several weeks ago by former Auditor General Ibrahim Naeem.

Naeem claimed that former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, together with many of his cabinet ministers and several members of the current government, had failed to declare details of their financial assets as required by the Constitution.

Deputy Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem said the cases was returned to the Auditor General’s Office “because they were not investigated sufficiently.”

Shameem said they should have been “properly investigated” by the Auditor General’s Office before being sent to the PG’s Office.

“People who were named in this report were not asked to submit their forms,” Shameem said. “[In addition] they were not informed about the criminal charges. It is unfair they had to hear about it from the media.”

He said the PG’s Office believed “they should be given an opportunity” to declare their assets and to further investigate the claims.

He added that the cases have not been dropped by his office, and “if they are sent back, we will proceed.”

Assistant Executive Director and interim head of the Auditor General’s office Mohamed Hussein said he could not give any information about the case.

Press Secretary for the President’s Office Mohamed Zuhair said the former Auditor General “did not make up this case on his own or without collecting information. He would have sent these cases to the PG after working with a team.”

Zuhair said parliament’s no-confidence decision on Naeem did not mean that the whole Audit office was corrupt.

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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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Auditor General requests PG prosecute Gayoom and former ministers

The Auditor General’s office has sent a list of current and former government ministers to the Prosecutor General, requesting they be prosecuted for failure to declare their assets.

Article 138 of the Constitution requires every member of the Cabinet to “annually submit to the Auditor General a statement of all property and monies owned by him, business interests and all assets and liabilities.”

A letter to the Prosecutor General’s office, signed by Auditor General Ibrahim Naeem, claimed that former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and many of his ministers, as well as several members of the current government, had refused to declare their assets despite being requested by his office to do so.

The Attorney General’s office advised the Auditor General that those concerned had indeed committed an offence under section 20 of the Audit laws, and were thus subject to state prosecution.

“Therefore, as advised by the Attorney General’s office, we request that you prosecute Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, of Ma. Kibigasdhosuge, as he has committed an offence under section 20 of the audit law and violated the constitution,” the Auditor General wrote.

Along with Gayoom, the list includes many Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) and People’s Alliance (PA) MPs, and several members of the current government including Tourism Minister Dr Ahmed Ali Sawad, and Economic Development Minister Mohamed Rasheed.

“I submitted [the asset statement] today,” Sawad told Minivan News. “I’ve got nothing to hide.”

The deadline set by the Auditor General was Thursday, Sawad noted. Gayoom’s submission, he suggested, “would be interesting.”

Others on the list include PA president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, DRP leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, Independent MP Mohamed ‘Kutti’ Nasheed, and former Anti-Corruption Commission member Ali Rasheed.

The ACC recently forwarded corruption allegations against Naeem to the Prosecutor General’s office. A motion in parliament for the Auditor General’s dismissal, based on the case yet to be heard by the court, has also stalled the Majlis twice and caused an all-out brawl between the major parties yesterday.

Deputy Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem said the ACC had delivered a large box file of documents regarding the Auditor General’s case “which we’re going through now”. The PG had yet to decide whether to prosecute, he said.

Regarding the Auditor General’s list, Shameem noted that “according to audit law, any person who obstructed the law as vested in the Auditor General is guilty of a crime, and I believe that is what he may be invoking.”

The PG’s office was “treating it as a normal case” he said, and had “technical issues” to consider before deciding whether to proceed with prosecution.

“We understand we’re in the limelight right now,” Shameem acknowledged. “We’re trying to keep a low profile.”

Spokesperson for the President’s Office Mohamed Zuhair suggested that “the number of DRP and PA MPs on the Auditor General’s list I believe gives insight into the troubles he is currently having in parliament.”

The Auditor General, he noted, “was actually appointed by Gayoom and a DRP-majority Majlis.”

“He’s a top-class accountant. I think that they believed he would foot their line, and did not expect that after he was appointed he would revert to type.”

No MDP member in senior government, Zuhair noted, had failed to declare their assets.

He called on the parliament to suspend the contentious debate over the fate of the Auditor General “until the court has ruled one way or another, otherwise they will be prejudicing the case.”

List of senior officials, past and current, yet to declare personal assets to the Auditor General as required by the Constitution:

Ali Rasheed – Former ACC member
Mohamed Ibrahim -Former EC member
Mujthaz Fahmy – JSC member
Abdul Gany Mohamed – JSC member

Ahmed Zahir -former JSC members
Abbas Shareef – former JSC member
Aishah Bisham – former JSC members
Mohamed Waheed Ibrahim – former JSC member

Ahmed Rasheed – Minister of Economic Development
Dr Ahmed Ali Sawad – Minister of Tourism

Maumoon Abdul Gayoom – Former President
Mohamed Mauroof Jameel – Former Minister of Construction and Public Infrastructure
Ilyas Ibrahim – Former Minister of Health
Abdulla Shahid – Former Minister of Foreign Affairs
Mohamed Nasheed – Former Minister of Legal Reform, Information and Arts
Dr Ali Haidar – Former Minister of Housing and Urban Development
Abdulla Kamaludeen – Former Minister of Home Affairs
Zahiya Zareer – Former Minister of Education
Ismail Shafyu – Former Minister of Defense and National Security
Mohamed Saeed – Former Minister of Transport and Communication
Ahmed Thasmeen Ali – Former Minister of Atolls development
Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom – Former Minister of tourism and civil aviation
Hamdhoon Hameed – Former Minister of planning and national development
Aishath Mohamed Didi – Former Minister of Gender and Family
Dr Aishath Shiham – Former Minister of Youth and aports
Aishath Azima Shukoor – Former Attorney General
Dr Abdulla Mausoom – Former Minister of Environment Energy and water
Gasim Ibrahim – Former Home Minister

Source: http://www.audit.gov.mv/dv/assetsdeclist.php

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