Parliament removes CSC President Fahmy from post

The Parliament has passed to remove Civil Service Commission (CSC) President Mohamed Fahmy Hassan from his post over allegations of sexual harassment of a female employee of CSC.

Out of the 72 MPs present at today’s Parliament Sitting, 38 MPs voted in favour of passing the report of the Independent Institutions Committee, which found Fahmy guilty of sexual harassment of a female employee of CSC. The report was voted against by 32 MPs, while two MPs abstained.

At today’s Parliament Sitting, the presentation of the Independent Institutions Committee’s report on the case filed by CSC employee Aminath Shahuma, accusing Fahmy of sexual harassment, was followed by a Parliament debate.

Presenting the report, Chairman of the Independent Institutions Committee Kulhudhuffushi-south MP Mohamed Nasheed said that the Committee had decided that the allegations against Fahmy are more likely to be true than false.

He highlighted that Fahmy, despite denying the allegations, could not prove to the Committee that the activities did not take place.

Nasheed said that even though Fahmy committed a crime, he does not need to be proven guilty in Court to be removed from his post; rather, it is enough that the Parliament finds him guilty of the crime.

Members of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Parliamentary Group stressed the importance of stopping harassment of women in order to protect women’s rights.

Similarly, Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) member Rozaina Adam said that persons found guilty by the Parliament of sexual harassment of women should be removed from their posts.

On the contrary, Progressive Party of Maldives’ (PPM) Thimarafushi MP Ahmed Shareef Adam did not support the report of the Independent Institutions Committee. He said that the Committee’s decision should have been investigated at length prior to the removal of a person from his post.

Similarly, PPM’s Maavashu MP Abdul Azeez Jamal Abubakr said that the allegations against Fahmy were politically motivated.