Parliament sets salaries, benefits for Chief Ombudsperson at MVR 37,500

The Parliament's Public Accounts Committee has confirmed MVR 37,500 in salaries and benefits to the Chief Ombudsperson, with the decision being approved by the People's Majlis through a vote at Monday's sitting.

40 members vote in favor of the Public Accounts Committee's review of the issue.

The vote to decide the salaries and benefits for the Chief Ombudsperson, in addition to the salaries and benefits of Ombudspersons, was conducted at the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee meeting held on Monday night. The Committee reviewed two recommendations presented by the Ministry of Finance regarding the salaries of those appointed to positions at The Ombudsperson's Office.

The decision made on the salaries and benefits afforded to Chief Ombudspersons and Ombudspersons was presented by the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee and Member of Parliament for the Kin'bidhoo constituency Mohamed Nashiz. Nashiz read a report detailing the Commtitee's review of the issue, and further highlighted that the Ministry of Finance had presented the Committee with two recommendations for the salaries of those appointed to The Ombudsperson's Office.

According to the report, the Public Accounts Committee had sought recommendations from the Ministry of Finance on the matter, at which point they presented two options for the salaries and benefits to be provided to those appointed to The Ombudsperson's Office.

The first option as presented by the Finance Ministry had been to issue MVR 40,000 as salaries and benefits to the Chief Ombudsperson, and MVR 35,000 as salaries and benefits for those appointed as Ombudspersons at the office.

The second recommendation set the salaries and benefits for the Chief Ombudsperson at MVR 37.500 for the Chief Ombudsperson and MVR 33,500 as salaries and benefits for those appointed as Ombudspersons.

In MP Nashiz's reading of the Public Accounts Committee's report on the matter, he confirmed that the Committee had unanimously voted in favor of the second recommendation on Monday night.

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.