The civil court has confirmed that the leader of the People’s Alliance (PA) Abdulla Yameen has filed a court case against Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, the recently elected leader of PA’s coalition partner, Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP).
The court said the case was regarding ‘debt collection’, but was unable to reveal the amount being sought. The case was filed on 31 Jan and the submission fee paid today, the court stated, adding that a judge would now be assigned to the case and a hearing scheduled.
Yesterday Yameen spoke to newspaper Miadhu claiming the elections process within the DRP was “not free and fair”, and that it was undemocratic that the party’s leader should be automatically selected without an election. Miadhu noted that Yameen’s own party had elected him as leader uncontested.
Yameen said today that the court case was “a civil case with no bearing on a political arrangement”. He said he “wished the coalition well” and did not want anyone “especially the media” to politicise the matter.
In late December Yameen denied that the relationship between the two coalition parties was strained, telling Miadhu that any problems within the coalition were the “wishful thinking” of the MDP.
DRP member Mohamed Hussain ‘Mundhu’ Shareef said while he assumed the issue of the court case between the two leaders would be discussed by the party’s council, “this issue does not concern me as a DRP member.”
“The bottom line is that Yameen has filed a case against Thasmeen, not that the leader of the PA has filed a case against the leader of the DRP. It has nothing to do with the parties.”
The coalition agreement, Mundhu noted, was “a parliamentary coalition agreement, not a fully-fledged coalition.”
He said he did not expect the court case to damage the public’s perception of the coalition, an alliance which gave the two parties a working majority in the 2009 parliamentary election.
“We just heard the headline, we’re not sure where its coming from, or why they felt the need to go ahead with a court case,” Mundhu said.
When the Congress meets later this month, “Thasmeen is going to be the leader – that’s basically a fact,” he noted.
Former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom endorsed Thasmeen as his successor to the DRP leadership during a speech announcing his retirement from politics last week.
DRP spokesman Ibrahim Shareef said the court case “means nothing” and was furthermore “a private matter”.
Yameen’s comments regarding the fairness of the party’s selection of leadership were “his own private opinion”, Shareef stated, and as for the health of the coalition, “there are some difficulties but they are not major concerns.”
Spokesperson for the rival MDP party Ahmed Haleem Zaki speculated that the court case was “politically motivated.”
“Yameen wants to become a leader,” Haleem said. “He has a lot of experience during the last government and is a very qualified guy. He is very educated and has a good mind, and is very determined: he has played a sometimes very dirty role in politics. Thasmeen isn’t popular in the Maldives – he has 6-7 members in parliament, but a lot of financial problems.”
In November last year Thasmeen and several members of his family were questioned by police over issues raised during an audit of the Bank of Maldives (BML).
According to the report by Auditor General Ibrahim Naeem, loans totalling Rf1 billion taken out by Fonadhoo Tuna, a company owned by Thasmeen, and luxury yachting company Sultans of the Sea, connected to the party leader, had yet to see any repayments.
Together the loans accounted for 13 per cent of the total amount loaned by the bank in 2008. Naeem commented at the time that defaults on bank loans issued to “influential political players” could jeopardise the entire financial system of the country.
In early December the civil court ordered Sultans of the Seas to pay over Rf654 million (US$50 million) in unpaid loans, fines and accumulated interest to BML over the course of one year.
Thasmeen had not responded to Minivan News’ requests for comment at time of press.
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The big start to the crumbling of DRP as we know it. What is more important about this article though it Mundhu's comments on it. The guy is so blatant in his lying that he has completely lost it. "...PA leader is not sueing the DRP leader..." Minivan News - Can you please try to get comments from a sensible person who can at least fathom the reality before commenting. It lowers the quality of Minivan News content and is an insult on your readers that his words of non-sense are presented as newsworthy - as if we don't know what he will say before he says something. Please try to get comments from someone else... please...please.
---- The coalition agreement, Mundhu noted, was “a parliamentary coalition agreement, not a fully-fledged coalition.” ---
Setting the stage already for the eventual dissolution of the agreement between PA and DRP. Come on guys, we know that in our society, taking someone to court is not just about two men. We know that this is directly representative of tension between these two parties. We know that this is not a "private matter." Both of these individuals are extremely wealthy and influential in their own circles.
They are also very very politically astute. Only a complete moron would believe that Yameen did not weigh the political consequence of filing this suit. Both Public consequences and Private consequences.
Public - division amongs these parties, a clear message of independence.
Private - lack of available funds for DRP party activities - and therefore a resulting loss of influence for Thasmeen if he is successful. Both these parties are based on such clientalistic patterns that any loss of revenue will be directly translated to loss of political support.
Spin this how you will. It is not a private matter. And it is very political regardless of claims to the contrary.
Thasmeen has a lot of financial problems and owes millions not only to the customs and the banks but to the general public too.The contractors who worked at his official home are yet to be paid who finished the work in 2008.
Yameen wants to rule the country. Anything that comes in the way will be destroyed like the Israilis destroy the homes of palestinians in pursuit of making Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. I feel pity for Thasmeen. Yameens mafia style management of politics will bury the now bankrupt Thasmeen alive. It is very simple look at what he has done to Gasim and Ilyas.
i bet drp are really regretting losing maumoon. he's the only one who can hold this mafia rabble together. it was thasmeen who knifed maumoon, forcing him to quit politics before his time was up. shame on you thasmeen.
two of them should be dealt with in court.
We dont need traitors and corrupt politicians.
With all due respect to my own party MDP, I would like to encourage Thasmeen to strengthen his leadrership in DRP. Work on removing thugs like Waheed and Umar Naseer from his party, clean up the mess DRP is in, breakaway with mafia Yameen... just move ahead and face head on with MDP.
Frog brain Ibrahim Shareef of
DRP is a robot whose remote control is in the hands of Moyamoon, It would be wise for DRP to choose another spoke person for there party.
stop criticising Mundhu and Shareef - they are MDP's greatest assets
Abdulla Yameen did not speak to Miadhu News about DRP election.
Few days back, in an interview to Dhitv he sated tht electing a presidential candidate through a primary is democratic or else certainly it will be undemocratic. He has not commented anywhere on being Ahmed Thasmeen Ali the Zaeem of DRP, as he was the only person contested for the post.
wait guys. more interesting stories on the way....till then bye.
What? Honor among thieves....
From where did Yameen got all these money???
when was spokesperson for MDP appointed?
I find it amusing that a salaried former Minister has millions of rufiyaa and dollars to give as loans to the richest men in Maldives. The fact that it was paid within 24 hours after it was filed at court shows that it was politically motivated.
Yaameen doesnt have a chance to win a presidential race. What he is trying to do now is showing Thasmeen how important and popular he is. Then he would want another agreement with DRP and PA and give PA all the money making ministries. DONT MAKE DEALS WITH PA Thasmeen! A big factor why Golhaa lost was because of Yaameen so dont repeat mistakes. PA wouldnt have won those 7 seats if DRP contested for them either.
How does he give millions as loans and keep his wife and children in Singapore's most luxury residences all the time?