An experienced employee who has worked in the field for several years has stated that it is believed that Fathimath Shaufa, who was in the position of Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, was dismissed from her position due to political influence after the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Tourism were merged and renamed as the Ministry of Tourism and Environment.

It has been reported that Shaufa, who is from the same island as the Speaker of the People's Majlis Abdul Raheem Abdulla, has informed some media outlets that she was dismissed from her position through a phone call verbally.

Shaufa was appointed to the position of PS of the Tourism Ministry on 6 January 2025.

While many legal questions have arisen regarding the manner in which Shaufa was dismissed, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) has not officially disclosed the reason for her dismissal. However, some media outlets have reported that she was dismissed at the request of Thoriq Ibrahim, Minister of Tourism and Environment.

According to information provided by the Civil Service Commission to "Mihaaru", "Tourism Ministry’s PS Shaufa was dismissed because Minister Thoriq Ibrahim wanted to appoint a new person for the PS position by announcing it anew due to the change in the ministry's mandate.

In a letter sent by the Civil Service Commission on February 3 to appoint a temporary head of the ministry after Shaufa's dismissal, it was stated that Shaufa was dismissed on February 3 under Article 100 (b) of the Civil Service Regulations.

The referenced Article (b) states that if one wishes to dismiss an employee during the probation period, it should be done in accordance with the regulations for dismissing an employee on probation.

Further, Clause (c) of this article states that despite what is stated in (b), the right to dismiss from employment is granted in accordance with the Employment Act.

RaajjeMV has reliably learned that in dismissing Shaufa from her position, apart from notifying her of the dismissal, no reason for dismissal as required under the Employment Act has been stated.

Although the Civil Service Act states that the Civil Service should be a service free from political influence and should arrange matters impartially based on merit, the source who provided information to this newspaper said that it is known that she was dismissed because the minister did not want to keep her in the position, as it is not evident that either the Civil Service Act or the Employment Act was followed in Shaufa's dismissal.

Another thing that reveals that Shaufa was removed from her position due to political influence rather than following the law is that, according to the "Mihaaru" report, "a Civil Service Commission official said that Shaufa was also given the opportunity to resign voluntarily before being dismissed."

The source who provided information to RaajjeMV said that this is "something done to hurt someone" directly through political influence without regard for the law or even the Civil Service regulations.

An official who spoke on condition of anonymity added that Minister Thoriq wants to give the position back to the PS of Environment who lost the position, so the position was vacated and announced.

This has happened at a time, records show that when the current President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu was the Minister of Housing in 2015, he obstructed Fathuhulla Ismail, who was selected for the position of Permanent Secretary of the Housing Ministry, from taking up the job.

The Civil Service Commission had handed over the letter of appointment to the position to him on 20 January 2015. However, obstructing Fathuhulla’s employment, Muizzu submitted a letter to the Civil Service Commission on 25 January 2015. In the letter, Muizzu said that Fathuhulla was a person opposed to the then-ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and government policies, and that it had been confirmed that he was actively involved in activities opposing PPM and government policies, and that he was against appointing him to that position.

According to Article 56 of the Constitution of the Republic of Maldives, the Permanent Secretary is to be appointed by the Civil Service Commission based on merit, free from political influence, while Muizzu had called Fathuhulla and warned him that he could not take up the position of Permanent Secretary of the Housing Ministry.