DJA: Allocated budget insufficient to cover salaries

Department of Judicial Administration (DJA) has declared that the projected budget allocated by Ministry of Finance and Treasury for judiciary was not sufficient enough to cover salaries.

In the judiciary budged report released by DJA this Monday, it said that Ministry of Finance and Treasury had cut more than MVR 100 million from the budget estimate sent by the judiciary.

DJA said that all courts and judiciary departments had set together for discussion and prepared and sent a consolidated budget with a ceiling limit of MVR 475 million to Ministry of Finance and Treasury.

It said that the MVR 465 million ceiling limit was MVR 6 million less than judiciary budget passed by People’s Majlis for 2016. And set after measures to cut recurrent expenditure, and proper planning and cost analysis of projects it needed to carry out in 2017.

DJA said the budget allocated for judiciary by Ministry of Finance and Treasury was not sufficient enough to cover the salary and allowances of judges and working in the judiciary.

DJA said it needed MVR 378 million to make salary payments of judges and employees working in courts, employees working in the new regional branches of High Court, employees of Judicial Academy, and employees of Mercantile and Administerial Division of Civil Court in Hulhumale’.

It said Ministry of Finance and Treasury had allocated MVR 367 for salary of judges and judiciary employees, and insurance for judges.

DJA said that the cut in the budget passed by People’s Majlis in 2016 had resulted in a shortfall of MVR 3 million.

“This being the case, we believe the large cut in the estimated budget for 2017 submitted by the judiciary will result in a stoppage,” read the report.