Vice President of Maldives Broadcasting Commission Mohamed Fazeen has resigned from the post.
Fazeen has handed in his resignation while parliament is considering his dismissal in response to sexual harassment allegations.
Fazeen's resignation letter, which has been shared on social media, states that he is resigning because he is unable to continue his work at the commission freely at this time, but states that he will remain committed to upholding press freedom in a democratic society.
Parliament's Committee on Independent Institutions had earlier summoned Fazeen to respond to allegations of sexual harassment against a female member of staff of the commission. He resigned today while the committee was set to meet at 11am today to decide on the matter of his dismissal.
Fazeen's lawyer claims that even after investigation, there is nothing but hearsay to support the allegations against him.
The lawyer's letter states that Fazeen had fulfilled his duties responsibly and impartially from his appointment on March 7, 2021 till his resignation.
The lawyer went on to allege that it is due to 'extraordinary influence' that many entities of the State are investigating the same allegations at the same time. Due to this, Fazeen is unable to continue his work at the time, which is the reason cited for his resignation.
The victim has previously said that she faced sexual harassment from Fazeen multiple times. The harassment, and the subsequent investigation, had caused her significant distress, including psychological trauma, leaving her unable to attend work.