Parliament accepts amendments for former presidents to forfeit privileges if they leave office against the law

Parliament has accepted amendments to the law on privileges and protection provided to former presidents such that they will not be entitled to financial privileges if they leave the office against the law.

Proposed by Vilufushi MP Riyaz Rasheed, the amendment bill was accepted to the parliament today after the Speaker Abdulla Shahid voted in its favour, as the initial vote resulted in a tie of 29 votes for and against.

The amendment to Article 3 of the Act on privileges and protection provided to former presidents states that a president who leaves the office without being proven guilty of an offence is entitled to financial privileges and that a president who has completed one term is entitled to a sum of MVR 50,000 and a president who has completed two terms of office is entitled to MVR 75,000.

While the purpose of the bill of amendments is to bar presidents who act against the law from receiving State finances, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) continues to claim that former president Mohamed Nasheed was thrown out of office through a “coup d'etat”. If the amendments are incorporated into the law, former president Nasheed will not be entitled to further financial privileges from the State.

MP Riyaz Rasheed has previouly proposed other amendments to the bill which had stated that any former president who calls for, encourages, or acts in such a way that threatens the sovereignty of the state shall be deprived from all financial privileges. The amendment was rejected by the parliament with 39 votes against.