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Parliament approves Dr Mausoom's reappointment as Minister of Tourism

06 September 2020, MVT 18:43
Newly appointed Minister of Tourism Dr Abdulla Mausoom (R) and his predecessor and sacked minister of tourism Ali Waheed. PHOTO: HUSSAIN WAHEED / MIHAARU
06 September 2020, MVT 18:43

The parliament, on Sunday, approved Dr Abdulla Mausoom's appointment as Minister of Tourism, after he took the oath for the position for a second time.

Dr Mausoom's appointment was approved unanimously by the 69 lawmakers present during the parliamentary session.

The recently appointed minister resigned from his post amid the controversy raised over his position as a Managing Director of a business venture at the time of his original appointment.

The parliamentary Government Oversight Committee had also advised President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to order Dr Abdulla Mausoom to retake his oath due to the issue.

The committee stated that as Dr Mausoom, at the time of his original appointment, had not withdrawn as the Managing Director of a company, it invalidated his initial oath. Although he later resigned from his post, the committee report concluded that Dr Mausoom's business connections meant he was ineligible for the post.

The law prohibits cabinet ministers from taking part in business affairs.

Previously, Dr Mausoom was the Maldivian High Commissioner to Singapore, and the non-resident High Commissioner to both Australia and New Zealand. He was removed from these posts with his new appointment as the Tourism Minister.

His appointment as the tourism minister came approximately a month after his predecessor, Ali Waheed, was sacked over allegations of sexual harassment raised by female staff of the tourism ministry. Following Waheed's initial refusal to resign as per President Solih's order, he was terminated on July 9.

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