Candidacy opens for vacant prosecutor general job

Candidacy opened on Tuesday for the post of prosecutor general, a position that fell vacant following Hussain Shameem’s ouster last week.

In an announcement on Tuesday morning, the President’s Office said candidacy will remain open until 12:00 pm on September 11.

The President’s Office said that the application form, along with other relevant documents, can be submitted to the office from 08:30 am to 12:00 pm from September 10-11.

The relevant forms are available for download on the President’s Office website.

The candidates will be vetted by the President’s Office, after which the president will send his nominations to the Parliament for approval.

The former prosecutor general, Hussain Shameem, held office from December 8, 2019 to August 22, 2024 – when he was dismissed by the Parliament in a no-confidence vote.

He had tendered his resignation ahead of the vote. However, the Parliament said the President’s Office hadn’t received his resignation letter, and passed the no-confidence motion with a majority vote of 65-9.

The law dictates that a new prosecutor general must be appointed within 30 days the post becomes vacant. The Parliament had gone to recess after the vote to oust Shameem, and will need to hold an extraordinary sitting appoint his replacement.