Ex-FIU head Sajid heads to court over dismissal for sexual harassment

Ismail Sajid has filed a court case challenging his recent dismissal as head of the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA)’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) over sexual harassment.

Sajid, who was appointed to the post in late August last year, was dismissed on January 29 after a month-long suspension.

Sun has learned that MMA’s Sexual Harassment Committee, which investigated the allegations against Sajid, found him liable for sexual harassment and thereby, recommended his dismissal as a punishment.

The recommendation was immediately enforced by MMA’s management.

Sajid filed court case challenging his dismissal last week.

Following his dismissal, Sajid has claimed the sexual harassment against him was filed in retaliation after he followed standard protocol and penalized an employee.

He further alleged that the Committee decided on the matter in spite of what he described as untrue claims in the complaint, for which he had submitted proof to the contrary. He added that this evidence was not taken into account.

Sajid also questioned the motive behind the complaint against him.

“I believe that taking action against the employee as required for engaging in several acts that she shouldn’t have as an employee of the Financial Intelligence Unit is one of the core reasons for this injustice,” he said.

He noted that the complaint was filed 39 days after the alleged incident took place.

Sajid was appointed to the position in late August, shortly after a confidential FIU report examining transactions linked to PNC parliamentary group’s senior deputy leader Ibrahim Shujau (Shuja) was leaked on social media which outlined substantial deposits allegedly made to Shujau through the Army Welfare Cooperative (CIVEC).

Following Sajid’s appointment, long-serving FIU chief Abdulla Ashraf was reassigned as Head of Risk and Compliance. Ashraf, a lawyer with significant financial intelligence experience, had been removed from his FIU leadership role the same weekend the report was leaked.

Prior to joining the FIU, Sajid has been serving as a member of the Tax Appeal Tribunal. 

The FIU serves as the country’s central agency for collecting, analyzing, and sharing information related to money laundering, terrorism financing, and proceeds of crime. Its primary role is to receive financial transaction reports from reporting institutions, examine them, and, when necessary, provide actionable financial intelligence to law enforcement and regulatory authorities.