Machchangoalhu Medhu MP former President Mohamed Nasheed on Wednesday characterized a supplementary budget submitted the government for the rest of the year as "a receipt for theft."
During the debate on the supplementary budget proposed by the government to plug a shortfall in the 2023 budget, Nasheed repeatedly said that the supplementary budget had been submitted in violation of public finance rules.
Citing article 96 of the constitution, Nasheed said parliamentary approval must be sought for the government to spend a single cent.
But the Finance Ministry's weekly fiscal development reports show that the budget approved for this year has been completely exhausted, he said.
"Honorable speaker, this is money for our development, for our children and children's children. We should not waste this money under any circumstances. We shouldn't misuse it and we shouldn't steal either," he said.
The supplementary budget is illegitimate because the government has spent already spent the money and included completed expenditure in the budget, Nasheed argued.
"Honorable speaker, this is not a supplementary budget. This is a receipt for theft. It is very rarely that we get a receipt for theft," he said.
Nasheed repeatedly accused President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer of theft, contending that the inclusion of funds spent without approval amounted to stealing.
Democrats MPs protest as Finance Minister presents budget
At yesterday's sitting, MPs from The Democrats - the minority party of parliament led by Nasheed - raised points of order, loudly protested and attempted to disrupt proceedings as Finance Minister Ameer presented both the supplementary budget and the 2024 budget.
Citing a legal requirement to submit the budget before November 1, Democrats MPs accused Ameer of violating parliamentary privileges with his refusal to attend in late October.
Ameer did not attend a sitting scheduled for presenting the budget based on legal advice from Attorney General Ibrahim Riffath, who concurred with the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) that parliament could not do any other work without concluding a stalled impeachment motion against Nasheed.
But Democrats MPs contended that his refusal to attend by the deadline set in the public finance law was unlawful.
"Sending the Finance Minister to court is the most important thing we need to do," said Nasheed, raising a point of order.
In response, Speaker Mohamed Aslam noted that Ameer had explained his reasons in a letter to then-Speaker Nasheed and urged MPs to submit a formal complaint in writing.
Ameer was surrounded by protesting Democrats MPs as he presented the budget.
