Payment to former MP exposed

Payments to an MP that lost their seat in the previous 17th session of the parliament has been exposed.

The 2012 Audit Report of the Parliament Administration says that an illegal payment of MVR 38,272 was made to a former MP that lost their seat. The report said that the money must be recovered to the state.

Among the MPs of 17 Session of the Parliament, the two members that lost their seat in 2012 were the MP for Thimarafushi constituency, Mohamed Mustafa and the MP for Kaashidoo constituency, Ismail Abdul Hameed.

The report said that an extra MVR 8 ,842 were given as salary to the MP that lost their seat. And along with the money transferred by the state on the MPs behalf to the Retirement Pension Scheme in 2011, a total of MVR 37,272 must be recovered according to the Audit Report of the Parliament.

The report said that the money was not recovered or deposited to the state and that the documents prove that no effort was made by the administration of the Parliament to recover the money.

The report issued last week signed by the Auditor General, Hassan Ziyath says that the procedure stated in the government’s financial law regarding the recovery of the money was not completed.

But the Audit Report did not name the said MP at any point.

At the 17 session of the Parliament, four members lost their seats. They are the MP for the Kaashidoo constituency, Ismail Abdul Hameed, the MP for the Alifushi constituency, Moahmed Naashiz, MP for Henveiru-center constituency, Ali Azim and the MP for Thimarafushi constituency, Mohamed Mustafa.