Govt probes Deputy Minister legally representing against state

Maldives government on Sunday said it has begun looking into a case of a Deputy Minister legally representing against the state in the High Court.

The Deputy Minister is the legal representative of a private company which has filed a lawsuit against Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA).

Deputy Minister of Economic Development Ibrahim Munavvar is representing the private company in the case, while the issue was brought to light last Thursday.

President’s Office Spokesperson Heena Waleed spoke to ‘Sun’ confirming government officials are not allowed to represent private parties against the state. Heena added political appointees are also barred from litigating against the state.

Heena confirmed government is looking into the case along with similar other cases, which have been reported recently.

At last Thursday’s High Court hearing in the case, MIRA’s attorneys argued that a government official cannot litigate against the state since MIRA is representing the government.

In response, Munavvar argued there was no legal objection to him performing his duties as practicing attorney. The judges then inquired from MIRA’s attorneys the legal grounds for their argument.

MIRA’s attorneys claimed they are not aware of any statutory provisions that restrict government officials from litigating against the state, but argued that the situation is a conflict-of-interest issue.

The presiding High Court judges in the case are Justices Hassan Shafeeu, Hussain Mazeed and Huzaifa Mohamed.

High Court decided to seek further counsel in the case, and scheduled the verdict hearing for another date.