Author: Ahmed Nazeer

Judge Naeem promoted to Chief Judge of the Juvenile Court

Former Civil Court Judge Mohamed Naeem who was transferred to the Juvenile Court last week as a punishment for disobeying Superior Court, has been promoted to Chief Judge of the Juvenile Court.

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) said that the commission decided to appoint Naeem as the Chief Judge of the Juvenile Court during a commission’s meeting held yesterday.

”The decision was made since the Chief Judge of the Juvenile Court has been appointed to the High Court bench, and to keep the court functioning,” the JSC said in its website.

It also said the other judge at the Juvenile Court was currently on a scholarship.

The decision to transfer Naeem to the Juvenile Court was made during a meeting of the JSC held last Thursday.

‘’The commission decided to do so as an action taken against Judge Mohamed Naeem for he has refused to conduct trials of cases concerning the state, before the parliament gives consent to the [then] Attorney General [Dr Ahmed Ali Sawad],’’ JSC then said in a statement.

The JSC said that the case was investigated by the sub-committee formed to recommend disciplinary measures against judges.

The investigation of Naeem came after he reportedly declaring during the first hearing of a case filed against the state that he would not hear cases involving the state before parliament approved the reappointment of former Attorney General Dr Ahmed Ali Sawad.

Naeem’s decision was in defiance of precedent set by both a majority of Civil Court judges as well as the High Court, which had ruled that such cases could be heard before the AG received parliamentary consent.

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Shahum attempted to attack officers with a machete, claim police

Police Inspector Abdulla Nawaz of the Serious and Organised Crime Department has claimed that Ibrahim Shahum, arrested in connection with the recent murder of 21 year-old Ahusan Basheer, was planning to attack officers with a machete when he was found hiding inside some bushes on an uninhabited island.

Police began searching for Shahum after Basheer was stabbed to death on Alikileygefaanu Magu in Male’, one of the capital’s main roads.

”It is believed that he was attempting to attack police officers with the machete,” Nawaz said, of Shahum’s arrest. ”He was arrested with three other persons including an under-aged boy, all of them are suspected to be involved in the murder case.”

He added that police believed Shahum was had led the attack on Basheer, and identified his suspected accomplices as Athif Rasheed and Mohamed Visham.

”There is a reason why they attacked Basheer, but we can’t divulge the information as it might obstruct the investigation,” he said. ”We are also trying to determine whether they had any connection with the owner of the uninhabited island.”

The murder case came not after a week Shahum was released by the Criminal Court citing lack of cooperation from the Health Ministry in providing certain documents.

Shahum was kept in detention six months following the investigation of another murder case involving a 17 year-old boy who bled to death after being stabbed.

On March 17, a group of men stabbed a 21 year-old man to death near NC Park in the Galolhu district of Male’.

Police said the incident occurred around 3:30am in the morning in Alikileyegfaanu Magu.

”He was stabbed four times in the back and three times in the chest,” police then said in a statement.

After the attack to curb the violence in Male’ police commenced special operations and arrested more than 50 persons who were arrested on charges of planning assaults, which most of them were arrested without any probable grounds to arrest or keep in detention according to the Criminal Court.

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Staff threw stones at intruder and left him in the water to drown, alleges Baros staff member

A staff member at Baros Island Resort has claimed to have witnessed three staff members throwing stones at one of the four men who invaded the resort wearing balaclavas last Wednesday, as the intruder was standing on the jetty.

The body of 20 year-old Ali ‘Immortal’ Shafiu was later was later discovered floating dead in the lagoon. Staff restrained another of the intruders, while two others were found and arrested by police.

Friends of the deceased who were present at Indira Gandi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) when his body was brought to the hospital claimed to have seen wounds on left hand and left side of his chest, and a wound on his head one and a half inches deep.

Shafiu’s family members later told local newspaper Haveeru that they had seen wounds on different parts of the body, however police would not confirm the injuries claiming the investigation was ongoing.

“That day early in the morning my colleagues came and shook me awake saying thieves had invaded the resort,’’ the staff member told Minivan News, on condition of anonymity.

‘’I ran to the jetty and saw staff throwing stones at a person waiting at the end of the jetty. I saw him falling into the water, I think he was knocked unconscious and fell,’’ the staff member said.

“His body was in the water – it had no movement at all, I was worried and told them to pick him up.”

Staff did not retrieve the body and the body was left in the water for more than 30 minutes, the source said.

‘’His body was floating on the water like a log. Someone who had not seen the body falling would think that it was a log. There was no movement at all.’’

The staff member said that police arrived on the island and took the body from the water.

“His body was as hard as rock when he was taken out of the water, and suddenly white foam came out from his mouth,’’ the staff member said. “The police then took the body for examinations.’’

The staff member said that later that day, before staff realised that they might be subjected to revenge attacks, many staff were claiming to have attacked Shafiu.

“They were not intending to kill him, but after they knew he was dead they rejoiced,’’ the staff member alleged. “But later the three staff who led the attack on Shafiu started receiving phone calls and threats that they would be sorry.’’

After they received these calls, those who claimed have hit Shafiu suddenly claimed to have not even touched him, the source alleged.

“Later I asked my colleagues who had found the intruders first. They said it was the security officers who saw the four of them, and they went and called the Maldivian staff members,’’ the staff member said.

At a press conference this afternoon, police that they were now investigating the cause of three wounds to Shafiu’s head.

Inspector Abdulla Nawaz also said that police have discovered the boat which was allegedly used by seven men – only four of whom landed on the island.

Weapons were also discovered inside the boat, Nawaz said, including swords and a harpoon gun.

”Police have now arrested the other three men, who include the captain of the boat,” he said.

Police said the four persons found in the resort had allegedly damaged the resort’s accounts department in a bid to to steal the safe inside.

”The safe contained US$50,000 at that time,” said Nawaz. ”We are investigating whether the seven men had any connections with a persons working in the resort.”

He also said that the body of Shafiu was ”apparently dead” when police took him out of the water.

”Police officers who attended the scene observed that there was no movement and the body was very hard,” Nawaz said.

General Manager of Baros Island Resort and Spa, Jonathan Blitz, was on his day off when Minivan News called the resort, however a senior staff member said the resort was unwilling to comment as the police investigation was ongoing.

“It was early in the morning and we are still not clear what happened,” he said, expressing concern that the original Minivan News article on the incident had been posted on the TripAdvisor website “and guests were commenting.”

Baros was the second Maldivian resort this year to suffer an attempted robbery by people from outside the island.

In Janurary, staff at Kihaadhuffaru in Baa Atoll were threatened by a group of masked men brandishing machetes and swords, who escaped in a dingy with the resort’s safe.

A receptionist was reportedly gagged with tape and restrained with a cable tie during the incident.

Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said at the time that he did not believe resorts would need to review existing security measures in light of the Kihaadhuffaru theft.

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Zaki resigns from MDP Disciplinary Committee

Current President of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Ibrahim Hussein Zaki, who is also the chair of the party’s Disciplinary Commitee, has resgined following the upcoming elections to appoint members to the party including the party’s president and vice president.

MDP’s official website said that Zaki had sent a letter to the Chairperson of MDP, Mariya Ahmed Didi, saying that his resignation was to ensure the MDP elections were conducted “free and fair.”

In the letter Zaki requested Mariya appoint Home Minister Hassan Afeef as the chair of the committee to deal with complaints concerning the elections until the elections were over.

Afeef is currently a member of MDP’s Disciplinary committee.

Zaki is running for the presidency of the party during the elections, challenging former Fisheries Minister Dr Ibrahim Didi who is also running for the same post.

Recently a voice clip of a conversation between Zaki and a person named Anandhu, purportedly in the UK, was leaked to the local media, concerning negotiations for the delivery of T-Shirts for the MDP ahead of the Presidential election.

The General Elections Act article number 70 states that “products or money” given by foreigners shall not be used by a Presidential Candidate or any person on behalf of a Presidential Candidate, and article 70[a] states that ”Products or money given by foreigners, foreign parties or foreign administrations shall not be used.”

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JSC appoints Judge Naeem to Juvenile Court as punishment

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has appointed Judge Mohamed Naeem – who is currently a Civil Court Judge – to the Juvenile Court to punish him for disobeying the decision of a superior court.

The decision to transfer Naeem to the Juvenile Court was made during a meeting of the JSC held last Thursday, the commission said in a statement.

‘’The commission decided to do so as an action taken against Judge Mohamed Naeem for he has refused to conduct trials of cases concerning the state before the parliament gives consent to the [then] Attorney General [Dr Ahmed Ali Sawad],’’ reads the statement.

The JSC said that the case was investigated by the sub-committee formed to recommend disciplinary measures against judges.

Last Monday, the JSC announced that it had formed a subcommittee to investigate complaints about judges, indicating that its first subject was Civil Court Judge Naeem. This is the first case against a judge the JSC has conducted in more than a year.

The investigation of Naeem came after he reportedly declaring during the first hearing of a case filed against the state that he would not hear cases involving the state before parliament approved the reappointment of former Attorney General Dr Ahmed Ali Sawad.

Naeem’s decision was in defiance of precedent set by both a majority of Civil Court judges as well as the High Court, which had ruled that such cases could be heard before the AG received parliamentary consent.

The very same day parliament rejected for a second time Dr Sawad’s reappointment.

According to the JSC, the committee – which includes JSC Chair and Supreme Court Justice Adam Mohamed Abdulla, Judge Abdulla Didi and General Public Member Shuaib Abdurahman – was established under the Judges Act and that its first scheduled task was selected by a vote taken among its members.

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Two arrested for recording nude footage in Thinadhoo

Police Spokesperson Lance Corporal Abdul Majeed Moosa has said that police have arrested two persons in Thinadhoo after it was reported that a group had recorded nude footage of a group of visiting athletics officials.

Moosa said that the visiting officials went to the island to attend ‘Makita Inter Atoll Junior Athletics Championship’ held on Thinadhoo.

”We can’t give more information as the investigation is ongoing,” he said.

Local newspaper ‘Haveeru’ reported that the two nude videos were of two foreign officials.

The paper reported that sources familiar with the case has said that the videos were recorded inside the bathroom secretly and some of the videos have been leaked.

The incident has caused the other members of the officials team to be concerned that their videos might also have been recorded secretly.

All the officials stayed in one house and there were two toilets in that house which both males and females in the team used during their stay in Thinadhoo.

Recently police arrested 14 persons for recording nude videos and pictures of senior government officials through facebook.

Police have not yet provided further information of the case.

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Shahum arrested on an uninhabited island in Meemu Atoll

Police have arrested Ibrahim Shahum Adam, 20, G.Kouzy while he was on an uninhabited island in Meemu Atoll.

He was arrested this morning around 7:00 am, said police on their website.

According to police, four others who were with him on the island were also arrested.

Police have been searching for Shahum for the investigation of the death of Ahusan Basheer, Seenu Hithadhoo, Varudhee who was allegedly murdered by a gang on March 17.

Previously police has appealed the public to report sightings of Shahum after the murder case and also warned the public not to confront him as ‘’he is too dangerous.’’

This is the second murder charge against Shahum. He was recently arrested in connection with the murder of a 17 year-old boy near Maaziya football ground in Maafannu.

Shahum was arrested and kept in detention for six months and was released by the Chief Judge of the Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed.

Judge Abdulla said that Shahum had been kept in detention six months for investigation and that no probable evidence was brought against him to further hold him in detention and queried the police as to why their investigation was not concluded after six months.

Police answered that they were unable to conclude the investigation as the Health Ministry had not provided the medical-legal report on the death of the 16 year-old boy.

Keeping someone in detention for six months for not getting a response from the health ministry was ‘’too much’’, said the judge, explaining that there were rights of persons kept in detention and released him.

Ahusan Basheer was murdered last Thursday in Alikileygefaanu magu, one of the main roads in Male’.

Local media reported Basheer’s family saying that he was not dead when he was first taken to Indira Gandi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), and that inside the vehicle on the way to the hospital he had told the police officers who attacked him before dying.

Basheer’s family also said that according to sources at IGMH Basheer’s body was left in the Accidents and Emergency Room without any treatment provided for more than an hour, because the hospital wanted to identify who he was and to contact his family.

His family told local newspapers that he went out late that night to buy a cigarette and that was the last his family saw him alive.

After the death of Basheer, police conducted special operations in Male’ to curb the rise in gang violence in Male’ and arrested 47 persons who were not related to the murder case, according to Chief Judge Abdulla.

Most of the persons among the arrested 47 were brought before the court with no probable grounds to be arrested, he added.

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Fire triggered from Orchid house’s electricity meter board, says MNDF

The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Fire department has said that investigation into the fatal fire in Orchid this week had revealed that the fire was sparked by a faulty electricity meter board in the house.

‘’The fire started from the meter board and spread, and turned to a huge fire,’’ said the MNDF in a statement, suggesting that the cause of the fire incident was electricity.

MNDF said that the fire department first received the information at 9:21am in the morning, and the fire department attended the area and tried to control the fire at 9:27 am.

At 9:57 that morning, MNDF said that “90 percent” of the fire was under control.

‘’While they were trying to control the fire firefighters received information that two persons were stuck inside , as soon as officers knew about it, a team from the fire department entered the house searching for the two persons,’’ MNDF said. ‘’When officers found the two persons they were inside a 15 ft-9 ft room build on a wooden deck which was severely damaged by fire when officers reached there.’’

MNDF said that officers had noticed that neither of the two persons were showing any movement when they were discovered and that their bodies had been severely burned by the fire.

There were three women and one man in the house when the incident occurred, two of them died while the third was a maid in the house who escaped on her own, said the MNDF.

The man received minor injuries during attempts to save the other two women, however after he escaped through the window to get someone to assist him to rescue to the two inside, the fire spread and he was unable to get back inside afterwards, according to the MNDF.

The identities of the two victims were identified as Iuthisham Adam and Dhon Sitthi of Haaji Edhuru, the mother of both Deputy Health Minister Fathimath Afiya and Permanent Representative of the Maldives to the UN in Geneva, Iruthisham Adam.

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MDP dismisses rumours of DRP MP Mahlouf defecting to MDP

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Chairperson Mariya Ahmed Didi has denied that leader of the opposition’s Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Youth Wing, MP Ahmed Mahlouf, has signed to join MDP, after rumours to that effect began circulating yesterday.

Mahlouf yesterday broke the three line whip of his party and voted with MDP, sparking rumors that Mahlouf had signed with the ruling party. Former DRP MP Alhan Fahmy controversially switched to the MDP last year prior to facing his party’s disciplinary committee over voting against the party line on the dismissal of then Foreign Minister, Dr Ahmed Shaheed.

The Maldives National Broadcasting Corporation (MNBC) yesterday reported that Mahlouf had signed to MDP, after the incident.

MDP’s official website quoted Mariya as saying that the rumor was spread by DRP Ahmed Thasmeen Ali’s faction after Mahlouf broke the party’s three line whip in a vote taken by the parliamentarians to appoint members for the Broadcasting Commission.

”Mahlouf has always had a close relationship with some of the senior members of the MDP. But the news that he had signed to join MDP is just a rumor,” Mariya said according to MDP website.

Mariya said that Mahlouf broke the three-line whip during the vote to appoint his aunt for the Broadcasting Commission, whose name was proposed to the parliament and supported by MDP.

Mahlouf has told Haveeru that he will join MDP only if former President Maummon Abdul Gayoom joined MDP.

After yesterday’s parliament session speaking to the press outside the parliament DRP Deputy Leader MP Ali Waheed has called on DRP Council to terminate the coalition agreement with Peoples Alliance Party (PA).

Waheed claimed that during all the recent votes PA had discussed with the government and voted according to how it will benefit both the government and the PA, ignoring DRP’s side.

He also heavily criticized Mahlouf for voting on MDP’s side.

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