Samah appointed as a state minister after dismissal as MIFCO chief

Ahmed Samah Rasheed was appointed as a state minister at the Fisheries Ministry on Wednesday, a day after he was terminated from his post as the chief executive officer at the Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO).

The appointment was confirmed by Heena Waleed, the chief spokesperson at the President’s Office.

The Privatization and Corporatization Board (PCB) announced the decision to terminate Samah from the post of MIFCO’s chief on Tuesday night.

But it did not give a reason.

The termination had come a month after he returned to work after a weekslong suspension.

The PCB placed Samah under 14-day paid suspension on March 18, as it conducted an inquiry in response to a “corporate governance-related complaint” filed against him. The suspension was later extended.

The decision to suspend Samah had come after a letter sent by the board listing serious allegations against him leaked on social media.

The letter highlighted 12 main allegations; including nepotism in the hiring process and misuse of company resources for political purposes.

However, the PCB never made an official comment regarding the leaked letter.

Samah’s suspension was also the subject of an inquiry by the Parliament’s State-owned Enterprises (SOE) Committee.