The Maldives’s Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to interfere in the decision of parliament that allowed pay cuts in the president’s and the vice president’s salaries citing “lack of jurisdiction,” reported Sun news. 

After COVID-19 hit the country’s finances, the Maldives’ Parliament passed a report by the Public Accounts Committee, recommending the salary cuts on the officials whose salaries are determined by parliament, and earn more than MVR 20,000, that included both the president and the vice president. 

Soon after the move, the decision was challenged by Mohamed Haleem, a former civil court judge, in the Supreme Court arguing the salaries of the officials can’t be altered without amending the constitutional clauses that determine the salaries of the president and the vice president. He cited his cases as a constitutional issue with the public interest. 

Rejecting the claims of Mohamed Haleem, the apex court also said Haleem failed to prove how his plea involves public interests that affect the common man of the country.