Malé, Maldives – Chief Ombudsperson of the Office of the Ombudsperson for Transitional Justice Abdul Salam Arif has submitted a complaint to the Parliament of Maldives regarding the low salary allocated for him.
Chief Ombudsperson Abdul Salam Arif stated in a letter sent to the Financial Committee of the Parliament, that the salary of MVR 37,500 allocated for him by the Parliament was, according to him a low amount considering the post and asked for an increment to his pay.
Regarding the letter from the Chief Ombudsperson, Chairperson of the Financial Committee MP of Kinbidhoo Constituency Nashiz said that though the Chief Ombudsperson has requested for a revision of his salary, this was a recent decision of the Parliament which is why after considering all the aspects necessary for the request, the committee decided that the Chief Ombudsperson’s salary cannot be increased at the moment.
Although the documents from the Finance Ministry stated a salary of MVR 40,000 to the Chief Ombudsperson, the Financial Committee of the Parliament agreed to uphold the pre-decided amount of MVR 37,500 as his salary. This decision was passed by the Parliament with the vote of 40 Parliamentary Members.
The Transitional Justice Act aims to end the culture of impunity and strengthen the rule of law, thereby strengthening democratic governance. It sanctions investigations into past wrongdoings by state authorities, heads of agencies, or individuals in power, which resulted in human rights violations.
The Office of the Ombudsperson for Transitional Justice is an autonomous legal identity vested with powers to communicate, file a lawsuit, or receive court charges relating to circumstances addressed through the Transitional Justice Act. The Ombudsperson’s salary is decided by the Parliament with considerations from the Financial Committee.
