No fault in system, 4000 foreigners did not enter illegally: Department of Immigration

Department of Immigration and Emigration has refuted the claims that 4,000 foreigners have entered the country illegally, due to a fault in the department’s system.

A press statement by the department released today explained that the quota for bring foreign workers into the country is controlled by a special formula determined by the department, which is controlled by the National Institute for Information Technology (NCIT). The formula can only changed if it is officially communicated by the Department of Immigration to NCIT, the department stated.

Maafannu-south MP Ibrahim Rasheed submitted an extraordinary motion to parliament today, claiming that 4,000 foreigners have entered the country due to a “system error” at the Department of Immigration.

The pro-government MPs said that MP Rasheed’s motion was politically motivated and that it was deliberate scheme to slander the government.

Calling for points of order on a several of instances, Vilufushi MP Riyaz Rasheed said that the extraordinary motion was submitted to the parliament against parliament regulations.

He accused the Speaker, a member of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), of being biased and claimed that the Speaker is now inclined to accept whatever motion set before the parliament by MDP. MP Riyaz said that this deliberate attempt to deceive the public is worrying.