A parliamentary committee overseeing government performance is set to verify if the cabinet ministers appointed by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu possesses dual citizenship, or passports of foreign countries.
In line with the constitutional requirements, cabinet minister nominations undergo parliamentary approval, and the committee initiated an inquiry into the matter.
At the committee meeting, MP Mohamed Falah expressed concerns about the citizenship status of two or three ministers who resided abroad for an extended period, suspecting the ministers may hold foreign passports, or dual citizenship.
Article 130(a) of the Constitution mandates that ministers must exclusively be citizens of the Maldives without holding citizenship elsewhere. Despite requesting clarification from immigration authorities on the ministers’ passport status, the agency said it fell outside of their purview.
MP Ahmed Rasheed proposed summoning the ministers in question to the committee to attain their explanation, but the apex court ruled against interviewing the ministers at the approval stage.
Another MP, Ibrahim Naseem suggested obtaining a written clarification from the ministers through President’s Office, which was endorsed by MP Hussain Firshan who also emphasized on the need for ministers to have sole citizenship.