President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s request to approve the appointment of Dr. Abdulla Mausoom as Tourism Minister has been sent back to the committee over its validity.

While 60 MPs voted to send the matter back to the government oversight committee, this is over the fact that he was the managing director of a business when he took oath off office on August 6.

Vilufushi constituency MP Hassan Afeef raised the issue during the debate stage of the committee report, at Tuesday’s parliament sitting. Noting that this is against the constitution, Afeef stressed that a vote cannot be taken on the matter until this is confirmed.

West-Maafannu constituency MP and chair of the government oversight committee, Mohamed Falaah assured that Mausoom had left this following appointment as tourism minister.

Following this, Speaker Mohamed Nasheed held deliberations with the parliament’s consular general and secretary general before announcing the decision to send the matter back to committee.

Some MPs called for Mausoom to re-take oath.

Article 136 (a) of the constitution states that “a member of the Cabinet shall not hold any other public office or office of profit, actively engage in a business or in the practice of any profession, or any other income generating employment, be employed by any person, buy or lease any property belonging to the State, or have a financial interest in any transaction between the State and another party.”

Dr. Mausoom had previously served in the cabinet; he was appointed as the Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation in 2008 and had also held the portfolio of Minister of Environment, Energy and Water.

Prior to that, he had served as the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation as well as a Member of Parliament, representing the Kelaa constituency. Dr. Mausoom had also served as a board member of Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI).

Most recently, he had been serving as the Maldives’ High Commissioner to Singapore, non-resident High Commisioner of Maldives to Commonwealth of Australia and as the non-resident High Commissioner of Maldives to New Zealand. He was relieved of these duties, prior to the appointment as tourism minister.

The post of tourism minister became vacant after the dismissal of Ali Waheed in early July. He was fired over “inappropriate behavior at the workplace” following sexual abuse allegations from ministry staff.