A motion alleging three key cabinet members of constitutional violations has been sent to the Parliament Committee on Government Oversight for review. The accused are Home Minister Ali Ihusaan, Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed, and Higher Education Minister Dr Mariyam Mariya.
The allegations were brought forward by Thulhaadhoo MP Hisaan Hussain, representing the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).
The motion submitted on Tuesday centres around the alleged mismanagement and improper delegation of responsibilities in relation to the recruitment and regulation of expatriate workers, in direct contravention of the Employment Act.
It claims that the ministers overstepped their legal mandates in handling quotas and approvals for the recruitment of foreign labour, notably from Bangladesh, and in the formulation of necessary regulations.
MP Hussain pointed out discrepancies in the management of expatriate labor quotas, specifically highlighting an unauthorised increase in the number of Bangladeshi migrant workers. This increase surpasses the legal cap of 100,000, with a reported figure reaching 139,220, according to her.
This breach, coupled with the alleged removal of pertinent statistics from the Economic Ministry’s website following public outcry, forms the basis of the accusations against Ihusaan and Saeed.
Parliament voted 29-3 in favour of forwarding the matter to the Government Oversight Committee for further investigation.