MDP accuses ruling party of politically Influenced dismissal of PG Shameem
The main opposition party, MDP, has strongly condemned the ruling party’s decision to dismiss Hussain Shameem from his role as Prosecutor General.
The dismissal followed a no-confidence motion with a final vote set for 9:00 PM on Thursday. Shameem resigned shortly before the sitting commenced.
However, the ruling PNC-dominated Parliament proceeded to vote on his dismissal after confirming that his resignation letter had not been received by the President’s Office.
In a press release, MDP criticized the handling of the dismissal, alleging that the Judiciary Committee’s decision to hold a closed-door meeting violated parliamentary standing orders.
The decision of the Judiciary Committee to keep the meeting secret despite the Prosecutor General's repeated requests to hold the meeting open to the public is against democratic rules and without due process It was a hasty decision in a room. The party is concerned that the committees of the Parliament are dismissing members of the independent institutions without allowing for procedural justice.
The statement read
The MDP accused the Committee’s chairperson of declaring the meeting confidential without adhering to the grounds specified in Article 46 of the Parliament’s standing orders.
They also noted that the rationale behind the Committee’s report on Shameem’s dismissal was unclear.
Shameem had requested a public hearing to address the allegations against him, but the meeting was still closed-door.
The MDP described the secretive nature of the Committee’s meeting as a breach of democratic principles and procedural justice, raising concerns about the fairness of the dismissal process.
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