Lawyer Aik Ahmed Easa has said he will complain to the relevant authorities after the Finance Ministry lied during a hearing of the Information Commissioner's office to conceal the number of political appointees in the current administration.
Aik wanted to clarify the amount spent on the salaries and allowances of political appointees until March 13, 2025. But during the hearing, the ministry claimed it did not have records of political appointees.
He told Adhadhu that complaints would be submitted to the Civil Service Commission (CSC), the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the National Integrity Commission (NIC).
"Once ICOM [Information Commissioner's Office] decides on the matter, we will submit a complaint to the CSC, ACC and NIC,” he said.
A legal officer represented the ministry during the hearing which was initiated after the ministry failed to comply with a Right to Information (RTI) request.
Information Commissioner Ahmed Ahid noted that the requested information should be in some government agency and stressed that the Finance Ministry is responsible for all the financial affairs of the state.
Each government agency will prepare the salary sheet and send it to the Finance Ministry. The legal officer agreed the process takes place and Ahid said the salary sheets should be at the ministry.
"You're saying you don't know who the political employees are?" Ahid asked.
"Yes, we cannot distinguish between political appointees and other employees," the legal officer replied.
However, the ministry has records of the posts, salaries, allowances and appointment dates of employees working in public agencies. Political appointees change every five years and the information will be easily identifiable.
Lying about such matters indicate that the ministry is not fulfilling its responsibilities under the Public Finance Act and Regulations. The information will be available in the ministry, various sources confirmed.
According to the President's Office, there are 922 political employees in the government of President Mohamed Muizzu. However, there is no way to verify the number. The opposition estimates the number at more than 2,000.
The number of political employees has become the biggest secret of Muizzu's government which came to power with a promise of transparency. There are political employees with high salaries to maintain football fields, hospitals and manage uninhabited islands.
