Author: Ahmed Nazeer

Journalist fined for defaming Ghassan

The former editor of weekly magazine Sandhaanu has been ordered to pay Rf5000 (US$389)for defaming Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon, the former president’s son.

Ghassan took Abdulla ‘Fahala’ Saeed to the civil court seeking Rf3.375 million (US$262,600) over an article Fahala had written in the 118th edition of Sandhaanu magazine.

Ghassan claimed he lost support in the parliamentary election because of rumours about him published in an article written by Fahala.

Fahala claimed that the Rf5000 fine was “an injustice” and announced he intended to take the case to high court.

”The judge did not even look at the article I wrote, I was sentenced based on what Ghassan had said,” Fahala claimed.

He insisted that he did not defame Ghassan “but ‘wrote it as it was a rumor spreading.”

”In that article I mentioned that it was a rumour. People were speaking about it everywhere in the Maldives,” he said.

Ghassan is currently in India and did not respond to Minivan News’ request for comment.

However spokesman for the former president, Mohamed Hussain ‘Mundhu’ Shareef, said the judgement was fair and Fahala was free to take the case to the high court.

“[The court] has proved the rumors people spread about former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and his family were lies,” Mundhu said.

People who committed “ugly crimes” while working for the government should be “kicked out”, Mundhu said, “if the government does not want to lose respect in front of the people.”

President of the Maldives Journalism Association (MJA) Ahmed ‘Hiriga’ Zahir said the case would not affect journalism in the Maldives.

”Fining for defamation is a punishment practiced everywhere in the world. Journalists should be careful about it,” Hiriga said.

Journalists had a responsibility “to write true information about people”, he said.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Five men arrested with weapons cache set free

Five out of six men who were arrested with a variety of weapons, including knives, swords and bats, have been released due to lack of evidence.

The head of the Serious and Organised Crime unit, Inspector Ahmed Saudhy, said the six men were arrested on 4 February when they were discovered in possession of the weapons and other items believed stolen.

The sixth man had been previously convicted and sentenced, but had escaped from prison. He is still in custody.

Saudhy alleged the six men were hiding with the stored weapons in G. Masodi, a house closely linked to the gang known by the same name.

The weapons were allegedly used to carry out assaults and robberies, while the items were mainly motorcycle parts and tools. Police Inspector Ahmed Jamsheed said that the police had recently received reports about missing motorcycle parts, much like the ones found in Masodi, which are believed to be stolen.

”We believe these people are involved in gang fights and other serious crimes,” Saudhy said.

Furthermore, police said that while they try their best to arrest criminals, they “regret” that some people help to save them from prison.

Jamsheed said the stolen items will be returned to their rightful owner when the person contacts the police.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Dispute over delay in medical help for dead Maafushi inmate

Concern has been raised about the delay in medical treatment given to an inmate in Maafushi jail, who died in custody yesterday.

The Director General of the Department of Penitentiary and Rehabilitation Services (DPRS), Mohamed Rasheed, said Hassan Ahmed, from Gan Mukuri Magu of Laamu atoll, died of a heart attack.

Rasheed said the 29 year old had been jailed for 25 years for using and selling drugs, but ”was a trusted and good man who was selected to work as jail staff.”

”We got a report at 2:00pm and our jail officers attended to him after four to five minutes,” he said, adding that Hassan was taken to the prison’s doctor immediately.

“He did not have any recorded medical conditions, and had just come back from work to pray and have lunch.”

However a source familiar with the matter told Minivan News that the jail officers only attended to the man two hours after they were informed about the incident.

The source also claimed that Hassan had informed the jail officers at 12:24pm, before noon prayers, that he had been having chest pains since breakfast, although by then it was not severe.

”But after the noon prayers his pain got more serious, so [the inmates] knocked on the gates and shouted. Police officers attended after some time, and [the inmates] told them about the man and they replied that the doctor had gone for lunch,” the source said.

”Nobody can stop a man from dying, but they could have treated him. They did not take it seriously, they even had the time to take him Male’,” he added.

He said Hassan was dead by the time the officers arrived at 2:10pm to transfer him, and criticised the DPRS and TVM for reporting that jail officers had attended “very quickly.”

Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Ilham Ahmed said ”We are very disappointed that again someone died [in custody] after the death of Mohamed Nooz.”

Rumours around the circumstances of Nooz’s death sparked a protest outside MDNF headquarters and the president’s residence on 28 January.

Ilham claimed he had received information that Hassan had died after reporting a serious pain in his chest since that morning, and ”nobody cared to give him even a single paracetamol tablet.”

Ilham also said he had received information from Maafushi jail that ”the police did not follow procedure; they have to check the dead body and take photographs.”

Hassan was buried last night. Rasheed said a letter had been sent to his parents asking if they would like a post mortem examination conducted. Hassan’s family had not yet responded to the letter, Rasheed said.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

MDP denies activists stormed CSC’s office

A video of group of men entering the office of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) on Sunday and intimidating staff is circulating on the internet.

Secretary General of the CSC Abdullah Khaleel said the group arrived at 1:05pm and “spoke very rudely. Their actions were violent.”

“We tried to find out their purpose for coming to our office. I asked them to come sit in the meeting room to speak about the matter, but they refused,” he said.

”They were mainly talking about the civil servants’ salary issue, they were angry that we were calling on the government to reinstate the salaries,” Khaleel said.

Khaleel said staff called the police at 1:11pm but officers police arrived after the incident had ended and the men had left.

He said that the crowd consisted of around nine men, but noted that only a few of them were rude.

”Two of the nine tried to take the three angry men outside the office, and they finally left,” Khaleel said.

He said that before leaving the office, the men threatened that they would be gathering a crowd of people in front of the CSC office.

Spokesman for Maldivian Democratic Party MDP Ahmed Haleem claimed that MDP did not send anybody to enter or threaten the Civil Service Commission. .

Haleem stated that ”as 90 per cent of Maldivians are MDP members, there might be a MDP supporter involved in [any] such scenes.”

According to the Elections Commission of the Maldives MDP had 28,995 members in December last year, or 9.3 per cent of the population.

Press secretary for the president’s office Mohamed Zuhair said that ”even if there was a MDP member [involved] it does not mean that they were representing MDP. They are members of the public as well.”

He said he would not support the act, as “nobody should enter a government’s office against security procedures.”

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Police arrest HIV positive prostitute

Police have arrested an HIV positive prostitute after she allegedly had sex with several Maldivians.

Head of the Serious and Organised Crime unit Ahmed Saudhy said the 27 year old woman arrived in Male “as a tourist” on 16 January, after travelling from “a neighbouring country.”

Saudhy claimed the woman had sex with several Maldivians, and “earned a large amount of money in a short time”.

He said the woman had admitted that she was a prostitute and police were continuing to investigate the case.

Senior public health officer at the Centre for Community Health and Disease Control (CCHDC) Abdul Hameed said prostitutes were keen to work in the Maldives because there was “high demand” for their services.

He said the practice was dangerous and carried a high risk of HIV transmission, and advised all Maldivians “to stay away from prostitutes who come to the Maldives.”

There were an estimated 34 HIV positive people in the country, ”although records show 14″ he said.

”The best prevention is to be aware,” he said.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

DRP MP Alhan Fahmy says he will join MDP “if I join a party”

Former Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Alhan Fahmy has announced that if he becomes affiliated with another political party during this administration, “it will be the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).”

The MP for Seenu Feydho was suspended from the DRP after he voted against the party during a no-confidence motion against Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed, after he elected to renew diplomatic ties with Israel.

The party’s disciplinary committee suspended Alhan from the party for six months and requested he apologise to DRP members, which he refused to do. He was threatened with expulsion if he failed to comply.

Today Alhan told Minivan News he believed the country was divided between two major political parties, “and all the others are paper parties.”

He said he was not currently a member of any party, but added that it would “not be long” before he joined one.

”I haven’t decided when, but I will be joining very soon,” he said.

Alhan said he had no interest in joining the DRP under “the current leader”.

Ahmed Thasmeen Ali was yesterday elected DRP leader by default after no one else in the party stood against him.

DRP spokesman Ibrahim Shareef said Alhan’s “excuses” for expressing interest in joining MDP were “not acceptable.”

“He is still a member of DRP. If he is jumping to MDP he is betraying his party members and the people of the country” he added.

MDP spokesman Ahmed Haleem said the MDP would “welcome Alhan into our party”, adding that the jump was “very close to happening.”

Haleem said that Alhan was the DRP’s “best politician.”

DRP MP Ahmed Mahloof said that he would be “very pleased” to see Alhan join MDP, because he had “betrayed the DRP.”

”If he jumps to MDP that would make him a political prostitute,” Mahloof said, noting that Alhan was currently not a member of the party.

DRP MP Abdulla Mausoom said that everyone “has the right to join any party”, but added that he did not want to comment on this particular case.

MDP MP Easa said the MDP would welcome Alhan to the party, if he chose to join, noting that Alhan “was one of the best performers in the parliament.”

”Our parliamentary group will be very strong if he joins,” Easa said.

MDP MP Moosa ‘Reeko’ Manik said that Alhan would be a major loss to the DRP.

”If the DRP think jumping from one party to another is a bad habit, why did they accept Umar Naseer?” he asked.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

CSC to take finance ministry to court over salary dispute

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) has announced it will take the finance to court to resolve the on-going civil servant salary dispute.

“We will go to the judicial courts and claim for the amount reduced from the salaries of civil servants,” the CSC said today in a statement.

The CSC said that receiving “full payment for their work” was a right for all civil servants, and advised them to be patient and continue working.

Press secretary for the president’s office Mohamed Zuhair said he preferred the dispute be resolved through discussions.

”I advise the CSC not to take the matter to court as first option,” he said, claiming that “some people are trying to use this situation as a political weapon.”

Zuhair said the government would defend itself if the CSC filed a lawsuit against it.

A senior staff member at the attorney general’s office today said staff would continue striking until their salaries were restored, even though the CSC has said it would not support strikes.

He gave the government three options: “restore the salary, agree to give us the money we have lost after the government’s economic condition stabilises, or reduce working hours,” he said.

He claimed the government had no legal action standing in court over the matter.

”We are planning to go to the courts, or to wait until the dispute between the CSC and the finance ministry ends,” he added, noting that only a few staff at the AG’s office presented for work today.

The finance ministry had not responded to Minivan News at time of press.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Thasmeen elected DRP leader by default

Ahmed Thasmeen Ali has been elected as the leader for the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), as no other member of the party stood to compete against him.

The party’s former leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom recently endorsed Thasmeen as the DRP’s leader following his resignation from politics.

DRP member and former president of the Islamic Democratic Party (IDP) Umar Naseer congratulated Thasmeen for becoming leader but the leader of the DRP “must not [automatically] be the DRP’s candidate for the presidential election; it has to be taken by a vote,’ he said.

DRP spokesman Ibrahim Shareef said he had “nothing to say about it.”

“The DRP congress will confirm Thasmeen as the president and it’s done, what else should I say?” he said.

MDP MP Ahmed Easa claimed Thasmeen’s automatic election as leader was undemocratic, particularly after Gayoom’s public endorsement.

“It’s unbelievable that nobody else stood up for the DRP leadership,” he said.

Press secretary of the president’s office Mohamed Zuhair said while the government was happy that the DRP is strengthening its internal democracy, Thasmeen’s election and Gayoom’s endorsement was “a one horse race, just the way it used to be.”

‘That the leader of the DRP was elected without a single person standing against is not very democratic,” Zuhair stated.

Minivan News was unable to reach Thasmeen for comment.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)