Despite President Muizzu’s admission that jobs were granted in a manner that facilitated corruption during campaign period, President's Office denies allegations

The Chief Government Spokesperson at the President's Office, Mohamed Hussain Shareef, has denied reports claiming that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu confessed to creating job opportunities in a manner that facilitates corruption ahead of the elections.

In a press release issued Monday, the President's Office stated that a news report published by a local media outlet—headlined "President admits to granting jobs to facilitate corruption ahead of campaign"—was based on a response given by President Muizzu to a question from another media outlet during a press conference. The President's Office clarified that the claims attributed to the President in the report, including the headline, distorted the meaning of his response and were written to create a narrative entirely contrary to the spirit and intent of his remarks.

The statement further noted that the organization will continue to clarify and disclose the facts surrounding such unethical and unprofessional reports, which are authored to achieve specific agendas.

The President's Office issued this statement following media reports regarding President Muizzu's response to a question posed by a journalist during Monday's press conference.

The journalist noted that a significant number of individuals were appointed to various positions leading up to the recent elections and inquired whether these employees would be dismissed from their posts.

In response to the question, President Muizzu stated that he would no longer grant employment opportunities for political purposes or to coincide with election campaigns.

The public has clearly signaled that the era of awarding jobs for campaign purposes or political leverage must come to an end in this country. Consequently, I will be proceeding accordingly. As previously stated, no state-owned enterprise or ministry shall hire employees unless it is through a formal announcement process, where candidates apply and are selected based on their CVs and merit. This is the policy this administration will uphold moving forward. Furthermore, I have issued instructions that anyone appointed to a position through irregular or unlawful means must be dismissed. This government remains committed to adhering strictly to these principles.

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu

Furthermore, President Muizzu stated that instructions have been issued to dismiss any individual found to have been hired in violation of established regulations. The President added that the government will continue to adhere to this policy moving forward.