Malé, Maldives – The Ombudsperson’s Office on Tuesday, cancelled their upcoming bid for IKEA furniture and other home accessories, following heaps of criticism.
Office of Ombudsperson for Transitional Justice (OOTJ) made an announcement on June 22 to procure furniture and decorative items such as pots and artworks for the office. The announcement included the brand name, IKEA and the catalogue number as well.
IKEA is a premium brand with higher prices, and the announcement specifying the brand conflicts with the Financial Act. According to Act 10.36 (e) of the Public Finance Regulations, bidding documents must not mention a specific brand name or other certain specifications unless absolutely necessary.
Criticism from the public and other authorities were aimed at the office following the announcement.
The Ombudsperson’s Office on Tuesday, gave information to local media Mihaaru, that they have now cancelled the bid after noticing certain things in the announcement that conflict with the law. They added that these problems would be resolved soon.
OOTJ was established following the ratification of the Transitional Justice Act (Act number:28/2020) as mandated under section 4A of this Act.
The Act is an attempt at providing legal certainty to the cause of serving justice, in the form of reparations and closure for survivors who have been systematically wronged by state officials and institutions.
