Shamah appointed State Minister of Fisheries after dismissal as MIFCO CEO

Ahmed Shamah Rasheed, who was dismissed from his position as CEO and board member of MIFCO yesterday, has been appointed as the State Minister of the Fisheries Ministry today. The appointment of Shamah as State Minister has been confirmed by the Chief Spokesperson at the President's Office, Heena Waleed.

The Privatization and Corporatization Board (PCB) announced yesterday that Shamah had been dismissed from his position as CEO of MIFCO. However, the reason for his dismissal was not disclosed.

During his tenure as CEO, Shamah was suspended from his duties from March 18 to April 21, and resumed his responsibilities on April 24. His dismissal yesterday comes nearly a month after he resumed his duties.

Although the PCB previously stated that an inquiry was conducted against Shamah following issues submitted to the board and through the PCB's whistleblower portal, no details of the inquiry have been disclosed yet.

The allegations made by the PCB against Shamah include the blatant use of company property and resources for personal and political purposes, unfairly removing permanent employees from their job responsibilities, workplace intimidation, demoting and reducing the salaries of employees in permanent positions without any reason in violation of the Employment Act, and transferring employees to other departments and company sites in different islands without cause.

Additionally, it was noted that he hired family members and friends without an approved budget, in violation of the company's recruitment policies and salary structure. He was also accused of hiring employees under the guise of headhunting, contrary to best practices and governance principles, without considering any qualifications, without public announcements, and without completing procedures. Furthermore, he allegedly created company positions and hired individuals for those positions without obtaining PCB approval, and appointed individuals without adequate education and experience as heads of departments, in violation of regulations.

In relation to this issue, Shamah, senior officials of MIFCO, and the PCB board were summoned to the Parliament's State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Committee to clarify information. During that committee meeting, Shamah denied all the allegations made against him by the PCB.

Shamah is currently in Bangkok, Thailand, to participate in the "INFOFISH World Tuna Trade Conference and Exhibition 2024".