President rejects two bills passed by parliament during last session

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has returned two bills passed by parliament in the last session of the 18th parliament.

One is an amendment to the Judges Act, seeking to grant privileges to former chief justice Mohamed Rasheed Ibrahim, while the other is a bill on Vice President retirement benefits.

President’s Office spokesperson, Ibrahim Hood told RaajjeMV that the president decided against ratifying the amendment to the Judges Act as it violated Article 75 of the Constitution.

“Members of the People’s Majlis should be guided in their actions by considerations of national interest and public welfare foremost, and should not exploit their official positions in any way for their own benefit or for the benefit of those with whom they have special relations. They shall represent not only their constituencies but the country as a whole” – Article 75

The amendment proposed by Vilufushi constituency MP Riyaz Rasheed was approved on April 29, at the last sitting of the 18th parliament.

President Solih also rejected the bill to pay a monthly allowance of MVR 35,000 out of state funds to all individuals that filled the position of vice president, which was passed in mid-April.

Hood said that the reason for this is because there is no such clause in the Constitution, as well as due to the bill not specifying a duration of service.

“As it is now, someone who filled the post of vice president for two months will be entitled to the benefits,” he added.

As per the bill, submitted by Eydhafushi MP Ahmed Saleem, all vice presidents who served after the implementation of the new constitution since August 7, 2008, are eligible for these privileges following the ratification of the bill. However, if found guilty of a criminal offence, they will be excluded from the privileges offered by this bill.