The President's Office has revealed the state is providing compensation in accordance with established policies of the Maldives.
The President's Office made the statement in its press release responding to the white paper published by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on providing compensation for damages incurred regarding government projects.
In the white paper, ACC stated that no government institution or committee has formulated a policy on providing state compensation, including the settlement committee tasked with advising the president on such matters.
ACC stated that government institutions are inconsistent in concluding cases regarding state compensation, and that making inconsistent rulings without transparency results in further damage to the state.
In response, the President's Office stated the settlement committee was established in January 2019 to advise President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on resolving cases of state compensation outside of court, but that the president abolished the committee in September 2020.
The President's Office stated the only case resolved with financial compensation, while being reviewed by the settlement committee, was the case of arbitration filed against the state by Noomadi Resorts and Residences. 19 cases of state employees being unlawfully dismissed by the previous government were resolved outside of court during the dispute resolution stage in the Civil Court, in accordance with court regulations, also stated he President's Office.
Furthermore, the President's Office stated the government has a policy of providing a maximum compensation of one year's worth of the person's salary and allowance, which is an amount approved by the High Court of the Maldives. The President's Office added that settling cases of state compensation outside of court is significantly more cost-effective than attempting to resolve the cases within the court system.