Former Parliament Speaker and President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s Chairperson of transition, Abdulla Shahid has stated that they have notified all state institutions to refrain from selling state property, carrying out business transactions as well as hiring and increasing employee income until Solih assumes office on November 17.
While Solih had appointed Shahid, who is also representative of north-Henveiru constituency in Parliament, as Chairperson of transition, Ahmed Latheef has been approved as the Director General of Transition. Committees specializing in different fields have been established since their appointment, including foreign, economic, defense and security committees among several others that are currently carrying out discussions in the transition process.
Speaking to the media after committee meetings, Chairman Shahid noted that they have received reports that several state institutions continue to sell state property, make business transactions, appoint employees as well as increase their incomes although the Anti-Corruption Commission had earlier in October, blocked state companies from doing so.
“Several media outlets are reporting that state institutions are still hiring and promoting staff, contracting projects to companies as well as selling state property, plots of lands as well as flats out of legal practice. We have addressed a letter on behalf of President-elect Solih, to state-run institutions regarding this matter in which we have ordered them to cease this practice immediately as these days [transition period] are not appropriate for such practices. There is room to believe that these things are not being done out of sincerity, since it is the transition period” said the former Parliament Speaker.
Shahid further revealed that they had made appeals at the ACC as well, to help bring an end to these practices, with the commission having assured that they are looking into such cases and adequate measures will be taken in the near future.
The Chairperson went on to express his hopes that all state institutions will abide by the President-elect’s word and respect his decision.
Shahid reveals that the transition process is progressing smoothly and that their objective is to provide these services to the citizens more impeccably than it is currently being provided, as soon as Solih assumed office.
With this having been said, ACC had blocked the practice of state-run companies and institutions, of hiring employees and the hasty increase of employee salaries as well as promotions on the 01st of October, following a complaint received by an anonymous source that state utilities company FENAKA Corporation was carrying out such practices. The same day, ACC had also informed the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure to halt the allocation of flats under the state’s housing project “Hiyaa”, temporarily.
