The Committee on Independent Institutions has approved the removal of Mohamed Fazeen from his position as Vice-President of the Maldives Broadcasting Commission (Broadcom), following allegations of sexual misconduct involving an employee.

The Committee has been investigating the matter since January and, last week, decided to initiate formal proceedings for his removal, with the decision officially announced on the Parliament floor on Tuesday.

A meeting was held the same day to provide Fazeen an opportunity to respond to questions from Committee Members. However, neither Fazeen nor his lawyer attended. According to the Committee, Fazeen’s lawyer had cited a family matter and requested an additional date to appear.

As a result, Committee Chairperson and Maafushi MP Hussain Riza Adam decided to schedule another meeting for Monday, allowing Fazeen a chance to present his response. However, after further discussion among members, the Committee ultimately decided to refer the matter directly to the Parliament floor.

Chairperson Hussain Riza stated that no objections were raised by Committee Members regarding the decision, which led to the matter being forwarded to the Parliament for further review.