Committee Seeks Assurance on Ministers' Sole Citizenship

A parliamentary committee overseeing government performance is set to verify whether cabinet ministers appointed by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu possesses passports from any foreign country.

In line with constitutional requirements, cabinet minister nominations undergo parliamentary approval, and the committee has initiated an inquiry into the matter. During the committee meeting, Maafannu Hulhangu Dhaairaa MP Mohamed Falah expressed concerns about the citizenship status of two or three ministers who have resided abroad for an extended period, suspecting they may hold foreign passports or dual citizenship.

Article 130(a) of the Constitution mandates that ministers must exclusively be citizens of the country without holding citizenship elsewhere. Despite requesting clarification from immigration authorities on ministers' passport status, the agency claimed it fell outside their purview.

Consequently, Hithadhoo Central MP Ahmed Rasheed proposed summoning the ministers to the committee for an explanation, but the Supreme Court has previously ruled against interviewing ministers at the approval stage.

Thulusdhoo MP Ibrahim Naseem suggested obtaining written clarification from the ministers through the President's Office. Supporting this approach, Madaveli MP Hussain Firshan emphasized the need to ensure ministers have sole citizenship, proposing that the President's Office provide information on their citizenship status.

The committee decided to compile a report for the President's Office, seeking clarification on ministers' citizenship before making a decision on their approval.