Parliament dismisses Communications Director, Ziyau seeks lawsuit

The Parliament Secretariat on Monday dismissed its Communications Director Hassan Ziyau (Ziya) abruptly.

Not long after his dismissal, Ziyau had shared a message in the parliament media group, confirming of his termination while noting that his dismissal, given the position was not political, was in violation of the Regulation on Permanent Secretaries.

In his message, Ziyau said that he was dismissed in volation of the legal procedures of termination, without providing proper notice. He called the 'abrupt' dismissal a violation of the code of conduct specified under the regulation on permanent secretaries.

He further alleged his dismissal was the result of a personal and professional feud due him raising issues against the decisions made by the Secretary General, Fathimath Niusha; Deputy Security General, Mohamed Rasheed; Head of Administration, Ahmed Faiz; and Foreign Relations Director Zuyyina Badhree.

Ziyau also alleged that another reason for his 'untimely' termination was due to his continued refusal to sign back-dated procurement requests.

To contend this decision, Ziyau stated he will be seeking legal recourse through the Employment Tribunal, Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM), and the General Purpose Committee of the Parliament.

Hassan Ziyau had been a prominent face of the Maldivian media, having worked at the Television Maldives (TVM) for over 13 years, before he joined the Parliament Secretariat as its Communications Director on January 16, 2019.