Press barred from committee meeting with ACC officials, reason unclear

The press was barred from access to a meeting of the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday, for which the committee summoned senior officials from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

The meeting was called at the request of the ACC, and the agenda was discussions regarding challenges in completing the commission’s investigations.

It was ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) lawmaker Abdulla Shareef, the representative for Kelaa constituency, who proposed holding the meeting behind closed doors. The motion was seconded by fellow PNC lawmaker, North Henveiru MP Ahmed Aifan, and passed with the unanimous vote of the committee members in attendance.

The committee members did not specify a reason for the decision.

The meeting comes as the ACC faces criticism, including from the Parliament itself, over delays in the commission’s investigations.

 The ACC receives a significant annual budget from the state to investigate corruption cases. The commission received a budget of MVR 50 million in 2023, a budget of MVR 47 million for 2024, and MVR 50 million for this year.  However, the commission has been accused of failure to produce results to justify the high cost.