Ombudsperson's Office for Transitional Justice (OTJ) has been instructed to transfer all its documents and assets to the Ministry of Finance following its dissolution on November 17.
OTJ is required to resolve all its cases by November 17 of the previous year. However, it was unable to meet the deadline due to a substantial caseload and delays in hearings. The deadline was extended to November 17 this year with the powers conferred on the president.
OTJ received a total of 488 cases with half of the cases already resolved and the remainder still pending. However, OTJ has not disclosed what will happen to the outstanding cases after its dissolution.
OTJ was established in 2020 to investigate past wrongdoings by state authorities, heads of agencies, or individuals in power, which resulted in human rights violations. Cases eligible for investigation under the Act ran from January 1, 1953 to November 17, 2018. The Parliament of the Maldives approved the creation the office with a legal framework, in line with President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's pledge to delivering justice for human rights violations in the Maldives.