The government has said it will have no involvement in the trial of former President Mohamed Nasheed, adding it would consider the possibility of offering clemency should he eventually be found guilty.
Nasheed, who yesterday announced he had started his campaign for re-election, has called for the trial over his role in the controversial detention of Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed earlier this year to be expedited. The former president has alleged that the trial against him is politically motivated to prevent him from contesting in presidential elections scheduled for 2013.
President’s Office Media Secretary Masood Imad claimed that the government was committed to its pledge of not interfering in the Maldives judicial system and played down fears of the trial being politicised.
“We would regret any parties or international organisations trying to politicise this trial,” he said. “However, after a judgement on the case has been given, if there is an opportunity to do so, I’m sure President Waheed would consider the possibility of clemency [for former President Nasheed].”
The comments were made today as Department of Judicial Administration Spokesperson Latheefa Qasim confirmed to Minivan News that the decision had been taken to appoint three judges to hear the former president’s trial. Qasim added that a date for the hearing or the identities of the three judges presiding over the trial had yet to be decided.
Last week, the Hulhumale’ Magistrate Court was cleared to hold the trial that will see Nasheed along with several senior military figures under his command face charges for the detention of Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed.
During Nasheed’s administration Judge Abdulla was accused by the government of demonstrating political bias, obstructing police, stalling cases, having links with organised crime and “taking the entire criminal justice system in his fist” to protect key figures of the former dictatorship from human rights and corruption cases.
Nasheed himself gave a speech to supporters in Male’ yesterday playing down the likelihood of his prosecution for the detention of the judge, while additionally launching his campaign for re-election despite no date for elections having been set.
Speaking from the Usfasgandu area in Male’, which is presently being used as a protest area by the now opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Nasheed alleged that he was not concerned of being prosecuted, according to local media reports.
During a speech outlining his plans to continue to pursue early elections through the MDP’s ‘direct action’ protests and political pressure, the former president claimed that he was confident of securing re-election.
MDP Spokesperson and MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor claimed that Nasheed’s comments were focused on the party’s continued efforts to secure “early elections” ahead of the proposed date of July 2013. President Waheed has said July 2013 is the earliest date for fresh polls as allowed in the country’s constitution
The MDP back in July approved a resolution that the party would choose to boycott elections should Nasheed not be able to stand as its presidential candidate after winning.
Ghafoor claimed that despite preparing for early elections, both Nasheed and the MDP had agreed to respect the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) report that last week concluded the government of President Waheed had come to power constitutionally and not through a “coup d’etat” on February 7.
“We have been respecting the report, but we also have very strong reservations about the concerns raised by [Nasheed’s appointee on the commission] Ahmed ‘Gahaa’ Saeed and we would like these shortcomings to be looked into,” he said. “There are obviously issues that we have with the findings and I do not believe that the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) will just choose to ignore Mr Saeed’s own reservations about the report.”
Saeed last week resigned from the five-member CNI panel approved by the government, MDP and Commonwealth, a day before the release of its findings over what he alleged was a failure by the commission to consider certain evidence and witness statements presented to the Commission.
Nasheed was also reported to have used his speech to claim that no country had so far accepted the CNI’s findings, according to local news service Sun Online.
Following the release of the CNI report last week, Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma welcomed the completed publication, urging “all concerned to respect the findings of the commission so that, moving forward, all actions and reactions reflect the sense of responsibility and restraint necessary in the best national interest.”
The US, India and the UN also called for the outcome of the CNI’s report to be respected in light of its publication.
However, Ghafoor said that Nasheed had in fact questioned the responses of various international players claiming they had been “unclear” on their views of the report.
Ghafoor added that the party would continue to lobby to have the reservations raised by Saeed concerning the CNI report addressed.
Beyond reservations with the CNI, the MDP claimed that it had been willing to work with the government of President Waheed in what it called the “common interests” of the public by offering to join his coalition government.
“We do not want to be working with this government, we ourselves want to see early elections as soon as possible,” he said.
However, President Waheed yesterday announced he had opted against including the MDP in his national unity government.
While the MDP – in light of the CNI’s findings – had called for clarification on whether it was presently the ruling or opposition party, the President’s Office responded that the matter was irrelevant under the country’s presidential system of governance.
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Nasheed should never be granted clemency. I will protest on the streets of Male' against any celemcy for Nasheed.
Nasheed thought he is above the awand that he can play with the laws. And this is exactly why we cannot let him go free. He should face the penalty now.
Of course that must be the Government's game plan! What is the point of clemency? If the plan is to convict & get a jail sentence for more than 12 month? As per the constitution, that would mean he won't be able to run for the office of President for another 3 years! Therefore the next election will be held without Mr. Nasheed's name on the ballot paper and the coup leaders can win!! Nice plan eh?
This government is run by such cowards, they dare not let Nasheed contest in the next election. Ofcourse Nasheed won't go to jail, Waheed will grant him clemency. So in the end what they want will be done, to ensure that Nasheed will have a conviction that will automatically bar him from the next election. Waheed claims he has 90% support of the people and yet dare not face an election with his opponent.
What a fast, clemency for trying to stop an illegal judge. Pathetic and more corruption from the coup regime.
In another country he would not have been allowed to run anyway.
Even if he did, a man who violated the Constitution would not have been able to survive the shame.
In our community, however, we still hold on to the old tribal values where we support our Chief who we believe is above any law.
Prosecuting Nasheed for the detention of a child abuser like Ablho Mohammed is like prosecuting Mohammed Thakurufaan for the execution of Andhiri Andhirin.
Also, 'tsk tsk', your constitution violates the Quran, therefore, your constitution is now null and void.
Politics need no politicising. The prosecution of Judge Abdulla's detention by the armed forces is political and it was the main theme of political protests and rallies aimed at toppling president Nasheed. Speaking at these rallies, Mr Umar Naseer of PPM has repeatedly elaborated on their plan to overpower the armed forces. He went on to mention that he needed a ladder against the wall of MNDF HQ to jump over into the HQ. He remains free from charges for his own action while president Nasheed is facing charges for action by competent authorities of his government.
If Nasheed’s prosecution by the coup-led regime of Dr Manik is apolitical, start now prosecutions of Maumoon for the unlawful detentions and torture in prison during his time and Umar for his plots to attack the MNDF HQ.
For Nasheed to be proven not guilty, the "independent" commissions will have to start working to see whether the grounds on which Judge Abdulla was detained were true.
No one has bothered to open that can of worms. No one knows what happened during the detention, at Judge Abdulla's end. After all, any communication from him outward should have been monitored.
If the train wreck that we call the "Maldivian Judiciary" is not fixed, nothing else matters.
There was a reason why Aishath Velezinee was acting all crazy, banging on every pot and pan in the country.
The only people here who benefit are the families of the Militia, the Police and the Government. If you bother to observe, you'll see that their standards of living will be on the rise, even though the economy is sinking faster than the stricken Titanic.
The rest of us are drowning in taxes and GST. Why do you think BML has allowed the withdrawal of Rf. 10,000.00 per day from ATMS?
Someone should also look into the issue of the government regulating the sales of dollars within the economy. Our company was warned by the government to not sell USD to Maldivian people.
Why?
This is so full of unbelievable crap!!!
Clemency?? Dare u even suggest, who do you think ur fooling Gov of Coup?
enough is enough, in a lawless freak show,clowns of today even makes Mamoon looks like a chimp!!
Rubbish of the first order, dare them fools come any closer now, it's time to pour the bitter, sour, frustrated fire of anger on the very last of them,!!
We will not wait for int. community then mr jameel, tsk tsk, or any of you skin heads to get what's ours then,,, that will be righteous war upon all of you,,,
and when the bells ring for it, the bells of the end of a stupid boring old drama named:
topple the island president
director: MAG
producers: Gasim,Waheeden,&Chump!
co-prod: Yameen,Ilyas,Thaulhath(idiot)
stunt director: Umar
camera man: VillaTV
associate marketing : Dr Hassan,Thaufeeq,
jabir,Masood,Imran
stuntmen: find yourself, play the movie over n ,,,,
(we saw uniformed gangsters that
horrific day, not our police, not our
national heros, we saw thugs!)
Supporting role,Male: Nazim,Riyaz,Iffe,Jameel,Abbas riza,,,,list goes,,
Supporting role,Female:
Azima,Dhunya,dhiyana,Roxina,and his class mate
Lead role,male:
Waheed,and his shadow,,,,of lies
Lead Role female: Maldives , land of the oppressed by own brother,
A sad tale of a beautiful 3 prosperous years of simple, public and social service, no looting, just trading,,,,,! any fool must know, when you are broke, and you need to build a house, you get an investor, who keeps property in his disposal for 25-50 years before he hands you back,,,
GMR' pathetic of a proud Maldivian, catering high hotel rates after seeing how primitive & 70s Standerd it still is on,
Any project given was opened for people, normal citizens to participate, not big , VIPs still feeding of this pure land, and sucking it's blood, like a leach,,,, even after infecting it with untreatable poverty and illiterates worshipping one man for the last 30 years, instead of asking Almighty...
The mother, the daughter, the wife and the partner is a female,land is a female,,,,
where are you Maldivian sons of takurufaan to defend your land from these BAAGYNS?..
The Jihaad is called upon all of us, to free our country once more from baaghin,!!
all you Muslim, before Maldivian, human before party member must know when the leader of the umma is this much of a (ZAALIM) dictator, and when unparalleled corruption is managed by his gang, and a lone ZAALIM coming back from the dead, polluting the peace and happiness everyone was living in,not only feeling it, he's back again with vengeance to wipe every smile from anyone's face, and dragg the whole country into a pre civil war situation, just because he lost after a long wining(funny!) streak,,,,!!
Get up, for ur country, stand up for ur rights, never, ever, ever let go!!!
Maldives, is a real paradise and those thugs in uniform and with ties and microphones are burning her!!!
What about Commander in Chief Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and Defense Minister Maumoon Abudul Gayooms trial and prosecution for murdering 2003 Maafushi Jail shooting murders.
To correct a misconception.
Mohamed Thakurufaan is hailed as a hero because he led insurgent forces to end a Portuguese occupation in the Maldives.
I don't think a call to civil war amounts to the same thing.
If you say Nasheed's arrest of the Judge was part of a heroic battle. Then his war was waged on his own people. That does not make him Mohamed Thakurufaanu.
I'm sure the Portugese left the Maldives because they wanted to. Face it the Maldives couldn't defend itself from any country without the help from India or some other force. Infact I'm sure one special forces unit from the UK or US or India for that matter could easily take out the whole MNDF in less than a mornings work, lol !
Police and army...think of your future and dont listen to Dec 23 ittihard gang
This country needs you to root out on corruption of Dec 23 ittihard gang they are stealing your children’s future to make themselves richer.
If only Pez.Nasheed would give us the green signal to show the baagees that we could also bring them down the same ways as they did Prez.Nasheed but alas Nasheed is above the crap the cowards such as Baagee Waheed and Baagee Nazim , Baagee Jameel..and the rest of the lot.
Mihaaru dhen e ulhenee gathulu aammu akah dhaan.
Heyonuvaane Waheed, thiyahen nuhadhdhavaa.
Anni aai behelaifiyyaa thiya levenee kulhan'dhuru hatha ah oggaa...
@justice4all! Love that word, Zaalim! Haven't heard it for years. Comes from the word Zulm, which means DARKNESS, but is used to imply corruption, injustice, great social pain. A Zaalim is literally a 'Beholder of Darknesss!
Powerful word! THANKYOU for reminding me of that word.
I believe that it IS Darkness to continue to persecute ex-President Mohammed Nasheed like this.
My feeling is that, even if he was guilty of tyranny, or corruption, he has been punished ENOUGH!
Jameel, Umar and others, who seem to be pushing for Anni to be imprisoned, are MEANT to be great Muslim scholars (as leader of IDP was Umar an Islamic Scholar as well as a military man, or just a military man, I don't know...)
Do they not understand the principle of equity in justice?
Persecuting Anni further is beyond justice, it is purely vengeance in my opinion. I am convinced that this vengeful attitude can only have negative consequences for the worlds perception of Waheed's Unity Government. Of course, Umar Naseer would probably not give a crap about what the world thinks because he is all macho and defiant. WAHEED, on the other hand, should know better, and strive to curb this vengeful spirit as the reputation of the Maldives is important for business reasons.
Anni has been through the indignity of experiencing the whole Commonwealth come to the decision that he is a liar. They have decided it was not a coup, he has said it was. Of course, they have not outrightly called him a liar, but the implication that he is a liar is almost syllogistic.
Even IF Anni resigned not realizing how painful the loss of power would be, he soon felt the pain of lost power when he was bashed by the police like a street dog!
Neither Yameen, nor Gasim, nor Judge Abdullah were physically harmed in their arrest, ANNI WAS punched hard in the face!
Neither Judge Abdullah, nor Yamin, nor Gasim lost their positions. Yamin, Gasim still in Parliament, Judge still high court Judge.
Islam was no more violated by Anni's Government than by any other Maldivian Government, only, Anni's dealings with the Jews, and the drinking in his team. was more publicised ONLY because the Anni guys did not seek to use religion as a tool to empower themselves!
I feel, that Anni was wrong to arrest the Judge in his home in the night in a manner which MAY have frightened the Judge's Family, as FAMILY, ALL INNOCENT, ARE SACRED!
Yet, Anni's Family have also experienced being removed from Anni, Anni experienced the painful removal of his Own Father, he experienced solitary confinement, and his Wife must have grieved to have had their BABY without her husband!
Anni has been punished ENOUGH!
Time to let go and focus on repairing, not avenging!
Chickun Dhunya..! I doubt you have the guts it takes to demonstrate against injustice in the roads of Male!!!
Clemency on the condition that all MDP members sign into Waheed's party 😉 afterall he badly needs some people in his party to stand up against PPM and DRP.
Waheed has no influence over the judiciary.
However a lot needs to be done to build confidence in the processes through which the Supreme Court bench is constituted. The political deal struck between Nasheed and then opposition figures in 2010 which led to the formation of the current bench is a horrible injustice to the Maldivian people.
The ongoing Leader's Dialogue must right this wrong and give us a bench which commands the respect of the legal community as well as the general public. The Superior Courts including the Civil Court and the Criminal Court also need more trained judges.
This is not to say that the exaggerated accusations made by party activists against judges and the judiciary are right either. For example, the Criminal Court Chief Justice never asked an underage sex crime victim to re-enact evidence in court.
He did however ask an underage witness brought before him by police to explain what the witness meant by his/her testimony presented as evidence in a case involving accusations of extramarital sex.
Judicial reform must begin at the top. The composition of the JSC must change. This can only be done by amending the Constitution so that means parties must come together to make this effort.
A way must be found to change the current Supreme Court bench. This also requires immense political will.
Let us see if our leaders can achieve this important task.
@tsk task, where are you?!!!!
"Waheed doesn't have influence over judiciary"!!!! Really!!! All this time I thought he was passing verdicts from hilaaleege's side door to justice building !!
yes I agree judiciary here needs humans, not someone's dogs to bite any fingers of accusation, but do you think any of them judges in any level court are willing to see the change and be part of it?? Don't think so!!!
And How an underaged was brought as a witness in such case in the first place??
Coming back to this, the only way known to any real politician is though law,
Ablo Gazi was summoned 3 times!! and what did he do? He used his influence to nullify his own case through his puppies in high court!!
How on earth this can be less than meddling with law and national security??
Ablo Gazi was the top of the list, he was and still is who holds files on all maumoon's family and friends! In his drawer, a file with every detailed case of conviction!
so once he was summoned, he began the usual undertable law of frustrating executives!
Knowing he is at fault not to comply at first, He revoked the case by the very commission established to investigate any misconduct by him or any attorney of law!!
This triggered a national security alert, but not a level to summon all NSC members, and Army took him off the bench,.
If Ablo Gazi had any rights, he violated them,
If he had power of law, he abused it,
If he was the super Judge, he acted like a super thug.
Yes democracy doesn't necessarily means equality, but law does,!
Parliment is not the only institute to pass law, everyone seems have a law finger!!! and if you call someone a Baaghy "Trator" , Nazim so & Riyaaz so will lock you up!!!
Law is respected not feared, Law is enforced not forced, Good lord Law is peace not violence!!!
How on earth anyone can accept any president of a country to be tried in a suspicious,human rights violating environment,filled with int. remarked issues, even by the regulator,UNHCR, and by a commonwealth critisized, blood sucking,corrupt,and opposition media bully like the Maldives now??
Power is an illusion, if you try to hold tight, it slips of your hand like a magic trick !..
Gayoom abused laws, according to the laws, the rights of Maldivians for three decades. That was law, respecting the laws, and rule of law.Unjust laws held hostage to whims of a pathological dictator.
It was law that entrenched apartheid in South Africa, curtailed civil liberties in Maldives as in other dictatorships.
The laws, the judiciary and judicial system Anni dealt with were dishing out sentences in broad day light for utter injustice. I cannot cite reference points of the constitution and laws for want of time, but it was injustice to protect vested interests of few powerful who are not just deemed corrupt, but seen and perceived to be corrupt.
Do we have to wait for court verdicts to determine or draw conclusion that Gayoom abused powers and mismanaged Maldives and her resources.
Charlatans in the name of legal luminaries have too many evidences which militate against their claim that Anni disobeyed the constitution. May be he did as far as unjust "letter" is concerned, but he did live to up to the spirit of it. Even Hitler would have walked scot free if court of acquitted him. Does it make him innocent? same analogy applies to the manipulation of Maldives courts and judiciary.
Truth too plain cannot be concealed with mere court verdicts and summary reports. Let the people speak through ballot. The chickens have no heart to have opponent in the race.
zalimun is the plural of zalim, (just correcting my above mistake)
There will be a trial for Prez. Nasheed. He will also be found guilty and will be sentenced. However, he will also be a candidate who will be much feared by every other presidential hopeful in the run-up for 2013 presidential election.
Like I said, in any other country, a convicted criminal would never be endorsed by a political party to contest presidential elections.
This goes to show the state we are in with regards to the rule of law. My friends no rule of law = no democracy.
Mob rule is not democracy. Shouting yourself hoarse to make a point is not democracy. Pledging loyalty to a popular person is not democracy. Repeating accusations made by political propagandists against one another is not democratic conduct. Inciting prison riots is not democracy. Attacking media outlets is not democracy.
clemency? this is not a "vagu dolaru" business. masood wake up
This is banana republic, the politics are played cheap and the more cheaply played the better chance to catch the bigger market. Everything depends who the target audience is; the big segment of audience cannot even distinguish their own image in the mirror here in this banana republic.
Abdulla got free holiday with better care that he could have received from his beloved wife, and giving him this life experience adventure with offer of free ticket to any part of the world with permanent visa was criminal offence. On the other hand the whole country is bleeding and dying to give the severest punishment for the person who has taken this innovative approach to liquidate the dangerous criminal who was protected by the State. We salute Anni for his commendable action even CIA could not have done. This was far better than Guantanamo Bay case.
Ben were you with Yameem Gasim and Abdulla all the time to see if they have been hit or not ?
Were you there with Anni , when he was hit on ytehn face ?
One time you claim you are living in Australia and next moment you were with these people ? Vow what an angle ?
Anni is the biggest threat to our infant democracy and he is the biggest threat for the party democracy too. Anni is behaving like a cult within MDP and the history proves it. There have been three elected president within MDP and each of them were forcefully pushed out from the party by Anni.
Anni is the biggest dictator which we have seen in our life.
Ohh, for a moment, I thought tsk tsk is talking about Jameel and this coup governament,
if so you've hit the hammer on the head,
Nasheed is not a convicted criminal, BB Jameel is,,
just a correction!!
And democracy has a lot of meaning, but not close to leaf aliasing mutiny !!!!
cheers!!