Shamheed: AGO being removed from civil service to exert political influence

Main opposition MDP’s South Hulhumale’ MP Ahmed Shamheed states the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) is being removed from civil service to exert political influence over the Office rather than granting it greater autonomy.

The government-backed AGO bill was submitted to the Parliament by South Maafannu MP Abdulla Rifau.

While debating on the bill at Tuesday’s parliamentary sitting, Shamheed said he first wished to inquire why such a bill was submitted Parliament “out of the blue”.  

He explained that the bill grants the Attorney General additional powers, including the authority to appoint staff to the office, determine their allowances, and create an employee framework. However, Shamheed said after reviewing the bill, he could not find any other purposes which the bill seeks to achieve.

“It is possible that there are difficulties in recruiting technical staff to the Attorney General’s Office. That are difficulties in giving salaries to such individuals as an agency that is under the civil service,” he noted.

Nevertheless, Shamheed stressed that the bill paves the way to transform AGO, which he described as one of the most responsible institutions in the Maldives, into a one-man institution.

The result, he said would be seeing a new Attorney General and completely new staff every five years.

“This paves the way for the opportunity for the institution to become highly politicized and for the institution to lose all of its memories,’ he added.

Shamheed also alleged that the bill was aimed at increasing the salaries of AGO staff while the state expenses are already far higher than revenue. As such, he said this would further increase state expenses.

The AGO is currently run under the civil service, and its staff are required to comply with civil service regulations. However, similar institutions declared in the Constitution, such as the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) operate under designated laws.

While the Constitution declares AGO as an independent state institution, it operates under the civil service, resulting in certain challenges, including in recruiting attorneys.

Because it needs to comply with civil service regulations, AGO’s salaries are lower than that of other independent state institutions.

According to the government, the purpose of the bill is “to establish a designated government institution in the same of the Attorney General’s Office that is separate from the Maldivian civil service in order to execute the responsibilities and duties mandated of the Attorney General.”

The AGO bill also details the requirements, responsibilities and duties required of the Attorney General, as well as the responsibilities of the AGO, and the responsibilities of the staff and the standards they need to adhere to.