Legal Definitions - maladministration

Maladministration

Maladministration refers to inefficient, improper, or unfair management of affairs, particularly by public bodies or officials. It signifies a failure to adhere to good administrative practices, leading to adverse outcomes for individuals or the public.

• Example 1: A city's public transportation authority implements a new ticketing system that frequently malfunctions, overcharging passengers or failing to register valid tickets. Despite numerous complaints, the authority takes months to address the widespread issues, causing financial inconvenience and frustration for daily commuters.

  This illustrates maladministration because the public authority's poor management of the new system and its slow, ineffective response to known problems demonstrate a failure in proper administrative practice, negatively impacting the public it serves.

• Example 2: A government department responsible for issuing business permits consistently delays processing applications beyond the legally stipulated timeframe, without providing reasons or updates. This results in significant financial losses for small businesses waiting to commence operations.

  Here, the department's failure to process applications efficiently and within established guidelines is a clear instance of maladministration, as it represents a breakdown in official management and regulation that harms businesses.

• Example 3: A national health regulatory body receives multiple reports of a specific medical device causing harm to patients but fails to conduct a timely investigation or issue a safety warning. This inaction allows more patients to be potentially harmed by the faulty device.

  This situation exemplifies maladministration because the regulatory body, in its official capacity, failed to properly manage and respond to critical safety information, thereby neglecting its duty to protect public health.