Civil Service Commission (CSC) has suspended the recruitment process for the post of Director General of the Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) after conducting interviews.
Reports suggest Four candidates applied for the position last year, with interviews and examinations also completed. However, before the candidates’ scores were announced, the CSC halted the process, citing ongoing amendments to the MFDA Act.
The last person to hold the post was Shareefa Adam Manik, who resigned in 2019.
Following her resignation, the previous government announced a vacancy for the post, for which First Lady Sajidha Mohamed was among the applicants.
In 2020, Health Ministry initially decided to appoint Sajidha to the position but later reversed the decision due to changes in the ministry’s administrative structure.
A second vacancy was subsequently announced, but the matter was taken to the Employment Tribunal after Sajidha challenged the decision. However, tribunal ruled that she could not be granted the post by order.
The case was later appealed at High Court and Supreme Court, both of which declined to accept it. The Supreme Court ruled that there was no evidence to suggest that the previous administration had denied her the position due to her being the wife of Dr Mohamed Muizzu, now the President. While Sajidha claimed she had faced discrimination, the ruling stated that she had not clearly demonstrated how discrimination had occurred.
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