Author: Ahmed Nazeer

High Court upholds decision to detain Faiz on charges of blackmailing Supreme Court Justice

The High Court has upheld the decision made by the Criminal Court on 11 July 2013 to detain Ahmed Faiz of Pink House in Feydhoo, Addu City, on charges of possessing pornographic material and trying to defraud money through blackmail.

Faiz, at the time a prominent member of President Mohamed Waheed’s Gaumee Ithihaad Party (GIP), is accused of allegedly using a sex video of Supreme Court Justice Ali Hameed involved in sexual activities with two women to try and blackmail the judge.

The High Court said Criminal Court warrant number 145-J[MD]2013/6077 orders the Maldives Police Service to hold Faiz in pre-trial detention, as the court believed he may try to eliminate evidence if freed.

The Criminal Court issued the warrant to hold him in detention from 11 July 2013 12:13 pm to 26 July 2013 12:12pm.

The High Court stated that Faiz’s appeal was based on two points: one in which he claimed others involved in the same case had not been arrested, and that the Criminal Court’s decision to detain him in his absence was unconstitutional.

The High Court ruling stated that Faiz was detained on charges of possessing a pornographic video of a person in a senior position in the state, with the assistance of others, and for attempting to extort large amounts of money by blackmailing the victim, and for attempting to sell the video for a price to others.

The High Court said Faiz had a pre-existing criminal record, including the possession of pornographic material.

In reference to the points noted, the High Court ruled there was no legal ground to rule against the Criminal Court’s decision.

Snapshots taken from the video began circulating on social media networks Twitter and Facebook, prompting a police investigation. The police formally notified all relevant authorities including the JSC, the Prosecutor General and President Waheed regarding their investigation into the case.

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Parents object to ballot box in Guraidhoo School over allegations of black magic

Parents at Guraidhoo Island School have refused to allow a polling station in the school for the upcoming presidential elections, due to concerns over black magic practiced by a local witch.

The parents alleged there was a witch on the island who, during previous elections, had cast spells to influence the outcome in favour of the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) which had affected children after targeting the school premises.

Speaking to Minivan News on condition of anonymity, one islander said a ballot box was last allowed in the school during the local council elections in 2011.

‘’After the local council elections the school students started fainting inside the classrooms and this became a huge issue,’’ the islander said. ‘’The parents knew this was related to something like this and called in a group of spiritual healers.’’

He said the spiritual healers forced the spirits talk to them through the body of the possessed students, who told the healers that they were unable to leave the students as long as the products of sorcery remained inside the school grounds. The spirits reportedly told the healers the exact locations where the sorceress had placed the spells.

‘’A group of islanders, parents and the healers dug up the area and found a clay pot with Arabic letters all over it, and a big tumbled ball of cellophane with blood inside it,’’ he said.

He said after the objects were removed the spell was broken and the students were fine.

‘’When the spirits spoke to the healers it revealed the name of a lady from the island and said she was the sorceress and she was casting spells to make PPM win,’’ he added.

‘’If the school is going to be a polling station again, the sorceress will cast spells on the school and all the students will be affected,’’ he said.

Online newspaper CNM has today reported that the Elections Commission had decided to place the ballot box inside Guraidhoo School despite the concerns of the parents.

According to the paper, Elections Commissioner Fuwad Thowfeek had reassured the parents that the commission would take full responsibility if any such thing should happen.

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Police summon mother of MDP MP for questioning

Police have summoned the mother of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ali Waheed for questioning as part of a joint investigation with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Zuhra Abdulla of Honey Moon House in Thoddu, Alifu Alifu Atoll was summoned to Thoddu Island Council, police confirmed to Minivan News.

According to a police spokesperson, Zuhra invoked her right to remain silent.

Speaking to Minivan News, Ali Waheed confirmed that his mother was summoned to the island council by police for the investigation of a case concerning him.

He alleged the investigation was political and an attempt to distract from what was “a really happy day for MDP” following former President Mohamed Nasheed’s submission of his candidacy for the 2013 presidential election.

“[Police] are concerned and worried because they have failed to fulfill their promise to their supporters to jail former President Mohamed Nasheed,” Ali Waheed contended.

”We will not be cooperative to any political investigation,” he said. ”These are little sticks thrown at us because today Nasheed had filed his candidacy at the Elections Commission”.

On February 20, 2013, police declared they were investigating a corruption case involving Ali Waheed in which his mother purchased a land in Male’ for MVR 7.938 million (US$514,000) in October 2011.

At the time, President of the ACC Hassan Luthfee confirmed the institution was also investigating a case concerning the Thoddoo MP.

“We have earlier received complaints regarding the MP taking bribes following his defection from the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) to the MDP. There were also claims that he utilised the money he received as bribes to buy a house. We are investigating the matter,” Luthfee said.

In May 2011, Ali Waheed switched sides from DRP to MDP claiming a lack of internal democracy within his former party.

In August 2011, Ali Waheed won a beachfront house for Rf4.6 million (US$300,000), bidding Rf3020 per square foot. At the same time, Ali Waheed’s wife also won a house from the 36 beachfront residential plots on Hulhumale, bidding Rf 3020 per square foot, for Rf 4,749,651 (US$310,000).

Waheed and his wife were the third highest bidders for the property, under the Hulhulmale Development Corporation (HDC)’s housing programme.

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PG presses terrorism charges against alleged Sultan Park bomber

The Prosecutor General (PG)’s office has pressed terrorism charges against Abdul Latheef Ibrahim, of Love Side house on the island of Gan in Laamu Atoll, for his alleged involvement in detonating a home-made IED (improvised explosive device) outside Sultan Park in September 2007.

Local media reported the first hearing of the case today, during which Abdul Latheef told the court that he wished to know the evidence against him, and requested time to appoint a lawyer.

The judge told Abdul Latheef that the state would produce evidence after he appointed a lawyer, and concluded the hearing.

On August 8, 2012, Abdul Latheef was arrested upon his arrival to the Maldives on a flight from Pakistan. He was one of 16 men against whom terrorism charges had been filed in relation to the bombing. Ten of these men fled the country, while three were sentenced to an initial 15 years before having their sentences commuted to three year suspended sentences.

The bomb blast in Sultan Park – a tourist attraction in the capital located in front of the Islamic Centre – consisted of a washing machine motor attached to a gas cylinder, and was triggered using a mobile phone.

The attack injured 12 tourists, including eight from China, two from Britain and two from Japan. The incident received widespread publicity around the world, damaging the country’s image as a luxury tourism destination.

The attack meanwhile prompted the authorities to declare a state of emergency and arrest 12 suspects within 48 hours.

Three men – Mohamed Sobah, 19, Moosa Inaz, 21, and Ahmed Naseer, 20 – were sentenced to 15 years imprisonment in December 2007 after they confessed to the crime.

In August 2010, the former administration commuted the sentences of Ahmed Naseer and Mohamed Sobah from incarceration to three year suspended sentences under observation.

The bomb blast was the first bombing incident in the country.

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Group murders 31 year-old man on Gan in Laamu Atoll

A group of men have murdered a 31 year-old man on the island of Gan in Laamu Atoll.

The police issued a statement today identifying the victim as Ahmed Nizar of Woodland house on Gan.

Police said the case was reported at 2:22am last night. Police attended the scene and discovered the body, which was at Gan Regional Hospital.

According to police, the doctors pronounced Nizar dead at the time he was brought to the hospital.

Police reported that Nizar was attacked while he was travelling to Gan from Kahdhoo, after receiving some football jerseys from the Kahdhoo Post Office.

The police investigation had revealed that Nizar was attacked with wooden planks and iron bars, police said, stating that they had recovered the murder weapons.

A special team of police have been deployed to Gan to investigate the murder. Police said the victim had no record of criminal activity.

A police spokesperson confirmed that one man had been arrested in connection with the murder.

Gan Island Councilor Abdulla Sulaiman told Minivan News that Nizar was attacked while he was in the company of two of his friends.

“He was with two other friends and as they reached an uninhabited area along Mukuri Magu, five men, three of whom were wearing masks, appeared on the road and attacked him,’’ Abdulla said. “They hit him in the head with an iron bar and he fell to the ground, and then they hit him a second time.”

Sulaiman said one of the five attackers then approached the victim, realised Nizar was not the person they had intended to attack, and said “Hey, I am really sorry bro.”

Sulaiman alleged the attack was related to the theft of a 20 litre bottle of homemade alcohol brewed on the island.

The attack on Nizar is the second murder on Gan this year. On March 14 this year, a 51 year-old man was attacked with an axe while he was sleeping in a house. He died shortly after the attack having suffered serious head injuries.

A source from the island at the time alleged the man was attacked for having an affair with a woman living in the house he was sleeping in.

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Police forensic expert testifies in Afrasheem murder trial

A police forensic expert has testified in court that he found the DNA of three individuals on jeans worn by Hussain Humam, the main suspect in the murder of MP Dr Afrasheem Ali.

Local media reported today at the hearing that the forensic expert told the judge that one of these DNA samples matched a the DNA sample of taken from Dr Afrasheem.

He told the court that the second DNA sample obtained matched that of Humam himself. He did not say whether the third sample was identified.

The expert told the judge that the chance of the DNA sample not being Dr Afrasheem was one in 9.8 billion and the chance of Humam’s DNA sample being wrong was one in 1.4 billion.

During the trial Humam’s lawyer Abdulla Haseen asked the forensic expert about the date he received Humam’s jeans, and was informed that he received them on October 2.

Haseen contended that while Dr Afrasheem was murdered between 12:00am to 1:00am on October 1, and Humam was arrested at 1:45am the same night, there was a window for police to put Dr Afrasheem’s DNA sample on Humam’s jeans, and asked the expert if he was able to determine at what time Humam’s jeans received the sample.

The forensic expert told the court that he was unable to determine the time.

Before concluding today’s hearing, the judge announced that another hearing into the case would be scheduled soon.

Dr Afrasheem was a well-known religious scholar and the MP for Ungoofaaru constituency. He was stabbed to death on the night of October 1, on the staircase of his home.

State prosecutors accused Humam, along with Ali Shan – who is also facing the same charges – and a minor identified as ‘Nangi’, of going to the residence of Dr Afrasheem and murdering him with a machete and a bayonet knife.

Humam initially confessed to the murder, but later withdraw his statement claiming it had been extracted under police duress.

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Court delays Humam’s hearing in Dr Afrasheem murder trial

The Criminal Court has delayed the hearing in to the trial of Dr Afrasheem Ali’s murder case scheduled for today, after Humam’s defense lawyer claimed he had not received the police forensic report.

According to local media, the hearing started today as scheduled, to hear forensic experts on the forensic report police had prepared.

However, as the hearing started Humam’s lawyer Abdulla Haseen told the judge that he had not received the forensic report and asked the judge if he could give him a two day period to review the report, to which the judge replied that the court could only give him 10 minutes as it was the duty of the lawyer to obtain the forensic report earlier.

After giving him a 10 minute break to review the forensic report, the judge began the hearing and told that the court was unable to provide the report to the lawyer because it contained names of people that the Prosecutor General had requested to hide.

Concluding the hearing today, the judge announced that today’s hearing would be delayed to tomorrow for this reason.

Dr Afrasheem was a well-known religious scholar and the MP for Ungoofaaru constituency. He was stabbed to death on the night of October 1, on the staircase of his home.

State prosecutors accused Humam, along with Ali Shan – who is also facing the same charges – and a minor identified as ‘Nangi’, of going to the residence of Dr Afrasheem and murdering him with a machete and a bayonet knife.

Humam initially confessed to the murder, but later withdraw his statement claiming it had been extracted under police duress.

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JSC Committee investigating Supreme Court Justice’s sex tape meets with police

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC)’s committee investigating the alleged sex tape of Supreme Court Justice Ali Hameed yesterday met with police.

The local media reported that police and JSC had not provided any details of the meeting.

A committee consisting of JSC Vice Chair Abdulla Didi, commission members Latheefa Gasim, Ahmed Rasheed and two other persons outside the JSC was composed last week to look in to a case involving video footage of Supreme Court Justice Ali Hameed allegedly having sex outside marriage, after the police formally notified the JSC.

A second video also surfaced on social media networks apparently depicting Hameed and a local businessman discussing political influence in the judiciary. Local media identified the businessman as Mohamed Saeed, the director of local business firm ‘Golden Lane’.

Justice Hameed in the video also goes on to reveal his political ‘hook-up’ with Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom – the current Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) presidential candidate – claiming that he was one of Yameen’s “back-ups” and that his stand was “to do things the way Yameen wants”.

After the video footage surfaced in the media and social network, the police have summoned Justice Hameed twice to reportedly query about the issue.

Both police and JSC are remaining silent on the matter and have not provided details of the investigations to the local media.

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Police charge Sun Media Group CEO for giving women jobs in return for sex

Police have issued a statement declaring that CEO of the Sun Media Group, Sinan Ali, is to be charged with criminal offences after he allegedly brought girls into his office and had sex with them after offering them job opportunities.

According to the statement, a 25 year-old woman identified by the police as Murishidha Shafeeq is to be charged in the same case along with Sinan.

Local newspaper Haveeru reported that the paper understands the woman is to be charged for having sex with Sinan and assisting Sinan in having sex with other girls.

Under Maldivian law, the punishment for fornication (sex outside marriage) is 100 lashes and a period of house arrest.

Editor of Sun Media Group and head of the Maldives Journalists Association (MJA), Ahmed ‘Hiriga’ Zahir, told Minivan News the issue was a personal matter for Sinan and said he would not like to comment on the matter.

Sinan meanwhile told Minivan News he had no knowledge of the case.

‘’I don’t know anything about this,’’ he said. “Two years ago I was summoned to the police headquarters and they queried about a video. I said I didn’t know anything.’’

Local newspapers reported that Sinan Ali was accused of having sex with six girls after offering them job opportunities while he was the head of Job Market Maldives.

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