Lawsuit filed alleging irregularities in MCS promotion process

Some prison officers working for Maldives Correctional Services have filed a lawsuit against the authority alleging irregularities in the promotion process in 2015.

The prison officers have requested that the Civil Court declare the promotions given to prison officers during 2015 be declared void, and order MCS to carry out the process as per regulation.

Attorney of the prison officers who filed the lawsuit, Mahfooz Saeed sent a letter to MCS in July, asking that the authority take steps to rectify the irregularities. He also warned that the matter would be taken to court in the authority failed to make amends.

Mahfooz wrote in the letter that the rules called for a 7-member committee to oversee the employee evaluation and promotion process, whereas MCS had set up an 8-member committee.

He also wrote that prison officers had not been given equal and fair opportunity to apply for the promotion. And that officers who did not fit the criteria set in Article 16 of the regulation had been given, while the records of some of the officers who had disciplinary issues had been cleared so that they can be given promotion.