Some 31 political staff were appointed to the Agriculture Ministry by May 1 after President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu assumed office last year, the ministry has revealed.
Under the Right to Information (RTI) law, Adhadhu requested information about political appointees at the ministry from November 17, 2023 to May 1, 2024. The ministry provided details about the political staff appointed during that period.
Number of political posts and remuneration at the Home Ministry
One minister - MVR 58,500
Two state ministers - MVR 43,500
Six deputy ministers - MVR 31,500
15 senior political directors - MVR 25,500
Seven political directors - MVR 20,500
Based on the information, the state spends MVR 860,500 a month to pay salaries for the ministry's political staff. This is MVR 10,326,000 a year.
The amount will exceed MVR 51.6 million during President Muizzu's five-year term.
President Muizzu promised not to appoint more than 700 political employees when he assumed office. However, the opposition accuses the government of creating a record number of political posts.
Some ministries have been responding to RTI requests and disclosing the number of political posts, but the total number cannot be confirmed as all the ministries have not been complying with the RTI requests.
