The government has refuted claims that bills scheduled for submission at the ongoing annual session of the Parliament of the Maldives are not being submitted.
The statement was made by the President’s Office after Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed claimed that only 2 of the 22 bills scheduled for the ongoing session have been submitted to the Parliament.
The government stated one-third of the bills scheduled for submission at the ongoing parliamentary session have already been submitted. The government also stated the amendment bills to the Judges’ Act and the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) Act have been submitted, despite claims that the parliament has not received them.
The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) had earlier revealed nine of the 22 bills to be submitted to the parliament during the ongoing session have been forwarded to the President’s Office. The list consisted of important bills related to the judicial sector including amendment bills for the Judicature Act, the Judges Act, the JSC Act and the Penal Code of the Maldives. Other bills to be submitted include the amendment bill to the Prevention of Terrorism Act, as well as the Maldives Health Service Bill.