EC President refuses to give information to ACC without lawyer

President of Elections Commission, Ahmed Sulaimaan has refused to answer questions by Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) without legal representation.

Sulaimaan, along with three other EC members were summoned to ACC for questioning on Tuesday.

Speaking to press outside ACC, Sulaimaan said that he did not believe ACC’s claims that he was summoned to clarify some information, and felt he was personally being investigated.

“I said it felt like I am under investigation. That I don’t believe they can do it like that. That I should be allowed legal representation. Then they said the Commissions’s President and Vice

President had told them to wrap up the investigation for today,” said Sulaimaan.

He said that he still did not know what the investigation was about.

“When summoned to an investigative authority, the person needs to know what the issue is. It has remained a mystery,” said Sulaimaan.

He said that ACC was considering that he wasn’t being cooperative, but that he was ready to cooperate even if he had to stay at the Commission until sunset, but only if he was granted his legal right.

An official from ACC informed “Sun” that the EC members were summoned for investigation into a legal officer hired to the company in 2015.

The party which raised the issue with ACC has accused on nepotism in hiring a legal officer to the commission, despite other more qualified individuals having applied to the post.