Pres. makes appointments to Ombudsperson's Office for Transitional Justice

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has appointed a Chief Ombudsperson along with Ombudspersons as per the provisions presented in the Transitional Justice Act (No: 28/2020).

N. Maafaru, Eetujehige Abdul Salaam Arif was appointed as Chief Ombudsperson by President Solih, and GA. Kanduhulhudhoo, Blue Rose Uz. Jihadha Anees and K. Male', H. Fehiaalaa Maryam Laiza were awarded the office of Ombudspersons as well.

They were appointed to their respective positions under the powers afforded to the President in section (a) and (b) of Article six of the Transitional Justice Act.

Abdul Salaam Arif served as the Vice-President of the Tax Appeal Tribunal prior to his appointment as Chief Ombudsperson, and has a Master’s in Comparative Laws from the Islamic University of Malaysia.

Uz. Jihadha Anees, who was appointed as Ombudsperson, has held the office of Assistant PG at the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) in the past. In addition to this, Jihadha has served in high-level positions for the PGO, Attorney General's Office (AGO) and Customs Integrity Commission. Uz. Jihaadha is the holder of a Master’s of Laws in International Maritime Law from Malta's IMO International Maritime Institute.

Mariyam Laiza, who was also appointed to the office of Ombudsperson, was a lecturer at the Faculty of Education at Maldives National University and has a record of extensive public service, including work in the education sector, the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) and the Education Development Center. Laiza has a Master’s of Human Rights and Decentralization from the Mahidol University in Thailand, along with a Master’s of Education from Open University Malaysia.

The Transitional Justice Bill was passed on the floor of the People's Majlis at the 23rd meeting of the third Parliament Session held on 29 November 2020.

The Transitional Justice Act provides a legal framework to review and investigate cases in which high-ranking leaders in government institutions, authorities and other parties have infringed upon the essential rights and freedoms afforded to Maldivian citizens in the Constitution, between 1 January 1953 and 17 November 2018. The Act ensures transitional justice is afforded to citizens who have been harmed as such in any way, irrespective of changes in the government.

A key goal of the Transitional Justice Act is to end the prevailing culture of impunity for state officials and heads of agencies in the government and related institutions, by strengthening the rule of law and allowing for the implementation of democratic governance.

The Transitional Justice act focuses on strengthening the review process for cases that infringe upon the rights and freedoms of citizens by reinforcing accountability mechanisms and providing a legal framework through which reparations can be provided for victims who have suffered abuse of authority.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih ratified the Transitional Justice Act on 17 December 2020, which tasks the Ombudsperson's Office with overseeing cases of transitional justice.

The Ombudsperson's Office is an independent legal entity afforded with the powers to communicate, file lawsuits and receive court charges in cases of human rights violations by those who hold high-ranking positions in the government and related institutions between 1 January 1953 and 17 November 2018.

The state-endorsed Transitional Justice Act was proposed as bill to Parliament in October 2019 by Central-Hithadhoo Constituency MP Ahmed Rasheed.