Ombudsperson's Office ordered document handover to Finance Ministry

The Ombudsperson's Office of Transitional Justice has been ordered to handover its documents to Ministry of Finance following expiry of the office's legal duration.

The office at 11:00 p.m. on Friday evening, November 17, in a statement said its legal duration expired according to the Transitional Justice Act.

According to the law, the office is required to handover all of its documents and assets, tangible and intangible, to the ministry.

While the legal duration of the office has expired on November 17, with the inauguration of the new President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, the office recently came under fire owing to multiple serious allegations levied against it.

One of its ombudsperson, Jihadha Anees, in her resignation, alleged that the office was altering the findings of several of the investigations it had carried out earlier.

The office later terminated three of its employees for non-cooperation with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), which had been dispatched to the office following the allegations. The Ombudsperson's Office refused to cooperate with the commission, citing that the warrant lacked legal characteristics.

The commission responded with a warning of taking necessary action to any attempt made to hinder its efforts to exercise its responsibilities.

The office was established through the Transitional Justice Act on December 17, 2020, with the aim of extending and enforcing justice for parties whose rights were alleged to have been infringed during past governments.

Although the office was initially established for a two-year period, outgoing President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih extended its legal existence to investigate cases related to the loss of public rights and infringement of rights, starting from the period of former President Mohamed Ameen and encompassing all four preceding governments.

Throughout its operational lifetime, the office received over 500 cases. However, the exact details of the investigations conducted and concluded by the office have not been disclosed.