President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has appointed Hassan Zareer as the new Commissioner General of Taxation.

Zareer was formally presented with his letter of appointment during a ceremony held at the President’s Office on Thursday morning.

This appointment follows Zareer’s resignation from his position as the chairperson of the Bank of Maldives (BML). 

BML expressed gratitude for Zareer’s leadership and guidance during his tenure and wished him success in his new role.

With Zareer’s departure, the BML board now has nine directors, down from the usual eleven, and a meeting will be convened to fill the vacant seats according to BML.

The position of Commissioner General of Taxation became vacant after Fathuhulla Jameel resigned in February to contest the parliamentary elections.

The President’s Office subsequently made an open call for candidates, and President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu submitted the names of eligible candidates to the Parliament in early March.

Zareer’s appointment was approved by the Parliament with a unanimous consensus of 45 members in early May, with Zareer receiving 10 votes compared to four for Yazeed.

Zareer holds a Master of Science in Finance and a Bachelor of Accounting from the International Islamic University, Malaysia.

He is also a fellow member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, United Kingdom, and a certified member of Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA), Australia.

Zareer’s career includes significant roles in both the public and private sectors.

He was appointed as the chairperson of BML’s board of directors in an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held on March 25, succeeding Yooshau Saeed, who had held the post since 2021.

Prior to his role at BML, Zareer served as the Director of Finance and Group Chief Compliance Officer at Villa Shipping and Trading Company Pvt Ltd.

He also held the position of Deputy Commissioner General of Taxation at the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority from August 2010 to September 2019.

In addition, Zareer has served in various capacities at the Ministry of Finance, including Chief Public Accounts Executive and Operations Manager of the Public Finance Reform Project from March 2007 to August 2010, as well as Assistant Director (Head of Public Enterprises Monitoring and Evaluation Board) and Assistant Under Secretary from July 2006 to March 2007.

Zareer has also been a board member of several public and private entities, including the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority, Maldives Tourism Development Corporation, Maldives Post Limited, State Electric Company Limited, Solarelle Insurance, and Maldives Entertainment Company Limited.

He also served as the chairman of the Maldives National Oil Company.