Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has called to grant the Commission full independence and leverage to investigate the cases submitted to the Commission.
The Commission made the statement in the ceremony held in the Commission to release the Commission’s annual report for 2015.
ACC said that a case involving illegally obtained funds had been filed to the Commission. However, the Commission noted that there were no laws that granted the Commission any independence or mandate to properly investigate the cases. ACC said that they had submitted the issue to the Parliament for a solution, issuing an appeal to the media to press the Parliament.
ACC President Hassan Luthfee said that proper investigations required laws to investigate the cases. He said that the Commission had been pushing the required legislature to the Parliament for the last five years.
“We have been working for five years. We had submitted the amendment to Parliament even last year. However, it was not successful. We will be submitting the amendment this year as well,” he said.
ACC Vice President said that they had received many complaints of the excessive lifestyles enjoyed by some MPs and individuals but they have been legally barred from investigating the cases.
“Posing question on the case is not a declaration of guilt. But in that case, investigations must be carried out. The laws had been pending in the Parliament for four years. The ACC does not have the mandate to investigate the cases,” he said.
He added that the Commission had attempted to merge the Anti-Corruption Act and the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, but had been unsuccessful.
Luthfee remarked that other countries offered protection to whistleblowers, while in Maldives such laws did not exist. He further said that the Commission was working on compiling such a law.
ACC calls for independence to fulfil mandate
