AG: President-elect cannot instruct govt. to halt services

The president-elect has no legal authority to instruct a halt to public services by the outgoing administration, states Attorney General Ibrahim Riffath.

President-elect Dr. Mohamed Muizzu had sent a letter to President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on October 5, requesting a cease in certain types of works during the transitional period.

President Solih said he would cooperate.

Riffath told Sun on Wednesday that the Transitional Act does not empower the president-elect to instruct the incumbent administration to do, or refrain from doing something.

The law in question sets procedures for the transition process, including providing assistance to the president-elect and vice president-elect, allowing for the appointment of a director-general of transition, and policies for spending on the office of the president-elect.

“It does not instruct for the incumbent administration not to conduct works or provide services a certain way, or that the administration must be instructed as such. It does not provide any such powers. So, how are we to enforce something that isn’t written in black and white in the law?” he said.

Riffath said that it was the democratic way to respect the requests of the president-elect, but it should not disrupt works carried out by the incumbent administration to deliver its pledges to the people.

He said that the president-elect has the chance to investigate works carried out irregularly during the transition period, and that there are already mechanisms in place to hold the outgoing administration accountable for corruption.