President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has said that the Presidential Commissions were formed as a last resort.

The President said this while speaking at a Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Parliamentary campaign event at Shaviyani Milandhoo this morning. He noted that, at the time he assumed the Presidency, corruption and theft had reached an all time high. He said that he became President after pledging before the Maldivian people to investigate deaths and disappearances as well as return stolen state finances through corruption.

President Solih had further highlighted in his speech that there are other institutions in Maldives that can address these matters, other than the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

He said however, that as these institutions had lost the trust of its people, he did not see the institutions accomplishing anything in these efforts. The President further reiterated that Independent Institutions also have a habit of only taking into account, only specific and selected cases. He highlighted all of these reasons in him having to resort to forming the Presidential Commissions to address these matters. The Presidential Commissions include the Commission on Investigating Deaths and Disappearances as well as the Commission on Corruption and Asset Recovery.

President Solih highlighted the efforts of the Commissions have now been stalled due to Parliament. He noted that although Parliament does not seek to empower the Presidential Commissions, the Commissions are taking whichever actions it can, through the narrow opportunities currently afforded to it. President Solih further noted that the Commissions would be deemed unnecessary if other institutions fully complied with the proper operations at these locations.