Author: Ahmed Nazeer

Former CSC head claims dismissal was politicised

Former Head of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) Mohamed Fahmy Hassan has told the Supreme Court that his dismissal was politically motivated.

According to local media, Fahmy told the Supreme Court that he was dismissed because he had refused to decrease the number of civil servants to 15,000 from 32,000 and because he had raised his voice to reinstate the salaries of civil servants.

Fahmy’s lawyer told the court that the parliament conducted a criminal investigation into Fahmy despite not having the jurisdiction to conduct such investigations.

Parliament’s Counselor General Fathmath Filza was present at the court to represent the parliament.

The Supreme Court has previously ordered parliament’s independent commissions committee to send it all minutes relating to Fahmy’s case.

However, the committee decided not to send the minutes to the court the sources who spoke to the committee spoke on condition that their names would not be disclosed.

Chair of the Committee MP Mohamed Nasheed told the press at the time that if documents containing confidential information were sent to a court open to the public, the information would also be open to the public.

On November 20, parliament voted that Fahmy be dismissed from his position as the President of the Civil Service Commission (CSC), on charges of sexual harassment against a female employee.

The incident occurred on May 29, 2012, when Fahmy allegedly called the female staff member over to him, took her hand and asked her to stand in front of him so that others in the office could not see, and caressed her stomach saying ”it won’t do for a beautiful single woman like you to get fat.”

Local media at the time reported that the woman told her family about the incident, who then called Fahmy. Fahmy then sent her a text message apologising for the incident, reportedly stating, ”I work very closely with everyone. But I have learned my lesson this time.”

In response to the allegations Fahmy told Minivan News at the time that the female staff member had invented the allegations after she discovered she had not received a scholarship to Singapore offered by the CSC.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Victim missing following speedboat crash found dead

The body of a person missing following a speedboat accident on Sunday has been discovered, police said.

Police identified the person as Dhaudh Mohamed, 28, from the island of Kulhudhufushi in Haa Dhaalu Atoll.

According to police Dhaudh was discovered yesterday at about 5:58pm during a search.

The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) coast guard said the dead body was discovered by divers near the Reethi Rah resort.

In a statement issued yesterday, police said they were informed that one person was missing from the speedboat at 3:00pm yesterday.

The marine police department and coast guard began searching for the missing person upon receiving the information he was missing.

Yesterday morning at 8:45am a speedboat travelling to Male’ from Reethi Rah collided with an oil tanker.

According to local newspapers, some of the passengers aboard the speedboat were critically injured and one passenger was reported to have been paralysed.

Newspaper ‘Haveeru’ reported alleged the captain of the speedboat was asleep when the accident took place. The paper reported that the captain of the speedboat was now under arrest.

The hospital and police have not provided information to any media regarding the injuries received to passengers.

Yesterday the police confirmed that an Indian and a Philippine national were among the eight injured in the accident.

Police said the eight victims were admitted to ADK and Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) and were receiving treatment.

Both vessels were damaged in the incident.

In December 2012, a collision between two speed boats left a Finnish tourist dead and nine other people injured.

The collision occurred between an express speedboat service to the island of Hulhumale’ – which is located near to the capital of Male’ – and another vessel belonging to the Bandos Island Resort and Spa property.

In January 2013 this year, five people received minor injuries in a collision between two ferry services travelling to and from the the islands of Hulhumale’ and Hulhule’.

In February 2010, 11 people were injured when a Hulhumale’ ferry travelling to Male collided with a speedboat coming to Male’ from the Rannaalhi resort with tourists aboard.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Murder victim’s parents approve death penalty

The Criminal Court has taken statements from the parents of Abdul Muheeth of Veyru in Galolhu Ward who was murdered by a gang on February 10, 2012.

According to local media present in the court today, Muheeth’s father and mother declared they approved death sentences for the suspects if the court was to find them guilty of murdering their son.

The Prosecutor General has charged three men in connection with the murder of Muheeth, identified by police as Mohamed Maimoon of Naifaru in Lhaviyani Atoll, Ali Mushaffau of Maradhoo in Addu City and Muhujathu Ahmed Nasir of Gadhoo in Faadu Dhaalu Atoll.

In December 30, the Juvenile Court finished taking statements from the heirs of Abdul Muheeth, where all approved passing the death sentence against the trial’s defendants should they be found guilty.

In March, Police Inspector Abdulla Satheeh said Muheeth was mistakenly killed by a gang and that he was not the intended target.

Police previously announced that Muheeth was not a member of any gangs, adding that he had also held a responsible job at the time of his death.

Article 88[d] of the Maldives Penal Code states that murders should be dealt with according to Islamic Sharia and that persons found guilty of murder “shall be executed” if no heir of the victim objects, according to Islamic Sharia.

Although the Maldives Penal Code allows for the death sentence, it has traditionally been commuted to 25 years in prison.

However the Attorney General has drafted a bill proposing changes to the law outlining the execution of the death sentence, which would put it into practice.

According to the bill persons found guilty of crimes subject to death penalty will be executed using lethal injection.

The last person to be judicially executed in the Maldives was Hakim Didi, who was executed by firing squad in 1953 after being found guilty of conspiracy to murder using black magic.

Statistics show that from January 2001 to December 2010, a total of 14 people were sentenced to death by Maldivian courts.

However in all cases the acting president has commuted these verdicts to life sentences.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

High Court concludes city council’s appeal into ownership of MDP protest site

The High Court on February 13 concluded an appeal by Male’ City Council (MCC) over the ownership of the ‘Usfasgandu’ land plot in the capital, leased to the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

The court is expected to rule on the appeal during the next hearing of the trial, which has yet to be scheduled.

The council’s High Court appeal followed a case filed by the Housing Ministry at the Civil Court ordering the MCC to hand over the land in seven days. The plot of land has been used by the MDP as a base for protests in Male’ for much of last year.

Lawyers from the Attorney General’s told the court that the MCC had given the land to a political party that was supposed to be used for social and leisure purposes.

The MCC claimed that had not been given adequate opportunity by the lower court to present its defense before the ruling to hand over the land was made.

According to local media present at the court, the AG’s lawyers claimed it was the duty of the council to prove their innocence in the matter.

The presiding judges said a verdict would be delivered at the next hearing unless the court needed to further clarify the matter.

The Male’ City Council gave the land to the MDP after its protest site near the tsunami monument area was dismantled by military and police on March 19, 2012.  The camp was dismantled the same day President Dr Mohamed Waheed delivered his presidential speech to the parliament, amid protests inside and outside the parliament chamber.

In May 2012, the Maldives’ cabinet ordered the Usfasgandu site be handed over from the MDP-dominated council to the jurisdiction of the government’s Ministry of Housing.

Following what it called the “non-compliance” of the MCC in handing over the area, police were asked to intervene and “take over”.

A chain of appeals eventually led to the MDP being evicted from the site and cordoned off by police on the orders of the High Court.

Police has previously raided the site on the morning of May 29, 2012, after obtaining a search warrant from the Criminal Court.

The reasons for the search as stated on the warrant included: “suspected criminal activity”, “damage to public property”, and “suspected black magic performed in the area”.

Under ‘evidence’, the warrant alleged that people in the Usfasgandu area verbally abused police officers and damaged a police vehicle on April 20, obstructed a Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) exercise of May 9, and on May 25 “MDP protesters threw a cursed rooster at MNDF officers.”

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Police arrest three men in connection with rape of Indian teacher on Dhangethi

Additional reporting by JJ Robinson.

The police have arrested three men in connection with the rape of an Indian teacher on the island of Dhangethi in Alifu Dhaalu Atoll, a source with knowledge of the investigation has confirmed to Minivan News.

‘’The three men were arrested and have been taken to the island of Mahibadhoo in Alifu Dhaalu Atoll,’’ the source said. None of the men arrested were over the age of 23, he added.

The incident occurred on Sunday (February 10) – some time between 2:30am and 2:45am, the source said.

“The victim was taken to Mahibadhoo Hospital where she is being treated for the injuries she suffered from the incident. There was blood all over her room when the police attended the scene,” Minivan News was told.

The source said the three men were accused not only of raping the 25 year-old computer teacher, but of stealing her mobile phone, an Acer laptop, and MVR 9000 (US$583) in cash.

‘’She lived alone in a big house consisting of three rooms. The suspects may have climbed over the wall to get in,’’ the source said, adding that the victim had not spoken to anybody following the incident.

Police Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef confirmed to Minivan News this morning that there had been some “developments” in the investigation, and that police would be releasing a statement.

“She is in hospital recovering and is getting better day by day,” he said.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs meanwhile told a press conference of Indian journalists on Tuesday (February 12) that the Indian High Commission in the Maldives was investigating the matter.

“Apparently the lady in question works in a private computer school in the Maldives. She was also badly injured. She has been given blood transfusion, and her condition now is stable,” the MEA spokesperson said, adding that the Indian government had contacted the Maldives’ acting Minister for Human Rights, Gender and Family, Dr Mariyam Shakeela.

“The High Commission [on Tuesday] morning sent two officials including a lady officer to the atoll to try and provide whatever support we can on account of this sad happening there. We have taken it up quite strongly with the government of Maldives, and we hope that justice will be done in this case promptly,  and this has been assured to us by the concerned Maldivian authorities,” the MEA spokesperson said.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Court extends detention of former Immigration Controller, three others

The Criminal Court has extended the detention period of Former Immigration Controller Abdulla Shahid, brother of Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Shahid, and three others who were arrested in connection with an alleged fraud case concerning the Disaster Management Centre, worth MVR 24 million (US$1.57 million).

The five were taken to the Criminal Court last Friday, which extended their pretrial detention period to 15 days.

Meanwhile, Speaker of Parliament Abdulla Shahid tweeted that the police officers who went to arrest his brother violated the sanctity of his house and entered his parent’s bedroom.

‘’I strongly condemn the violation of the sanctity of my residence and my parent’s bedroom by Maldives Police SO (Special Operations) today,’’ Shahid tweeted on Thursday.

Following the speaker’s allegations, police held a press conference on Friday evening during which Police Superintendent Abdulla Nawaz denied allegations that police had violated the sanctity of Abdulla Shahid’s residence.

Nawaz told the press that the police officers went to Shahid’s house and first called his brother Mohamed Shahid. He came downstairs and told the police officers that he needed to see his parents before leaving.

According to Nawaz, police officers went inside with Shahid when he went to see his parents. He expressed concern that the media was misleading the public over the incident.

The case involving the Disaster Management Centre fraud concerns an audit report into the Centre produced by the Auditor General. In the report, the Auditor General alleged that the MVR 24 million was fraudulently obtained from the budget allocated for the Centre for the years 2009 and 2010.

The Auditor General’s special report into the case alleged that the Disaster Management Centre had photocopied, edited and reused ‘Credit Purchase Order Forms’ used in 2005, to withdraw the MVR 24 million from the Centre’s budget at the Finance Ministry.

The ‘Credit Purchase Order Forms’ were originally given to the Disaster Management Centre in 2005 to withdraw cash from the Tsunami Recovery Fund. The Auditor General’s report also suggested that the Finance Ministry was complicit in the alleged fraud.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Police arrest former head of Disaster Management Centre over fraud investigation

Police have arrested former Immigration Controller and head of the Disaster Management Centre, Abdulla Shahid, in connection with a corruption case involving MVR 24 million (US$1.55 million).

Police Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef told Minivan News that Shahid was arrested at 11:00am this morning.

‘’He was arrested in connection with an  MVR 24 million fraud case,’’ Haneef said. ‘’Police are conducting a joint investigation with the Anti-Corruption Commission.’’

During his tenure as Immigration Controller under the Nasheed administration, Shahid was a key opponent of the controversial Nexbis border control system, which parliament unanimously voted to terminate in December.

The case involving the Disaster Management Centre concerns an audit report produced by the Auditor General. In the report, the Auditor General alleged that the MVR 24 million was fraudulently obtained from the budget allocated for the Centre for the year 2009 and 2010.

The Auditor General’s special report into the case alleged that the Disaster Management Centre had photocopied, edited and reused ‘Credit Purchase Order Forms’ used in 2005, to withdraw the MVR 24 million from the Centre’s budget at the Finance Ministry.

The ‘Credit Purchase Order Forms’ were originally given to the Disaster Management Centre in 2005 to withdraw cash from the Tsunami Recovery Fund.

The Auditor General’s report also suggested that the Finance Ministry was complicit in the alleged fraud.

In March 2012, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) sent a corruption case to the Prosecutor General’s Office concerning the Disaster Management Centre and a housing project carried out on Gan in Laamu Atoll, following damage suffered in the 2004 tsunami.

The ACC entered the Disaster Management Centre with a police escort in October last year during the investigation process.

The ACC asked the Prosecutor General’s office to prosecute the two deputy heads of the DMC, and a senior official of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Dangerous fake ‘LSD’ in the Maldives, warns Police Commissioner

Police Commissioner Abdulla Riyaz has warned that a very dangerous fake LSD drug is being distributed in the Maldives by local drug lords, which could ”stop your heart.”

‘’LSD is a very dangerous drug. It could stop your heart. Reports received that fake LSD is supplied and that some drug users are on it,’’ Riyaz tweeted yesterday.

Today police released a statement informing the public that early this morning at 3:30 am the body of a man was discovered lying inside Antennae Park.

Police said they had confirmed the deceased’s identity as Ahmed Nazeef Shaukath of Augusta House in Henveiru Ward, Male’.

According to the statement, Nazeef’s body was taken to ADK hospital immediately where doctors determined he was dead.

A close friend of Nazeef told Minivan News that he had been called by friends this morning to inform him that Nazeef had died from a LSD overdose.

Yesterday, police reported the discovery of dead body lying on a street in Hulhumale’ at 4:45am early on Tuesday morning.

The police identified the body as 19 year-old Mohamed Shahud Nazim, of Mercury House in Maafannu Ward, Male’.

According to police, two men were standing next to the body when it was discovered. Police said the two men were intoxicated and were arrested.

Sources familiar with the case told Minivan News that the two persons arrested tested positive for LSD and were in possession of the drug when police arrested them.

In a statement, police said doctors at the hospital had informed them the victim was dead when he reached hospital.

Two further deaths

Meanwhile, two residents of Villingili in Gaafu Alifu Atoll died after having difficulties breathing.

According to Villingili hospital, the men were dead when they were brought to the hospital.

According to the police, one of the men died while he was on the island of Kooddoo in Gaafu Alifu Atoll and the other died while he was on Villingili, also in Gaafu Alifu Atoll.

Police said they men were aged 33 and 58 and both died after having difficulties breathing.

Police have not said the deaths are linked.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Parliament Committee summons Chief Judge of the Criminal Court

Parliament’s Government Oversight Committee has decided to summon Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed to clarify details regarding the controversial transfer of power on February 7, 1012.

Speaking to the press today Committee Chair, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ali Waheed, said the committee made the decision as a part of its probe into the CoNI report.

Ali Waheed said that the committee needed to ask Judge Abdulla Mohamed how the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) treated him during his detention.

The committee also summoned Chair of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) Adam Mohamed, who is also a Supreme Court Justice, as well as Home Minister Dr Ahmed Jameel and Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim.

In addition, the committee also summoned the Prosecutor General, and heads of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) and Police Integrity Commission (PIC) to clarify information.

The committee has furthermore decided to write to the Home Ministry and Defence Ministry asking them to forward a list of names of officers who violated laws on Februry 7, 8, 9, 2012, and to send a list of officers who were promoted to higher ranks after the controversial transfer of power.

All the the decisions made by the committee today were part of its ongoing investigation into the controversial transfer of power and the CoNI report.

Meanwhile, the government has decided not to comply with any summons send by the parliament government oversight committee to cabinet ministers and government senior officials if it is regarding the investigation into the CoNI report.

The government has previously alleged that the committee’s probe into the CoNI report was against its mandate.

Attorney General (AG) Aishath Azima Shakoor previously issued a letter to the Majlis Speaker Abdulla Shahid stating that the investigation was a violation of Parliamentary rules of procedure, local media reported.

Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed was arrested by the MNDF on the evening of Monday, January 16, 2012, in compliance with a police request.

Prosecutor General (PG) Ahmed Muizz lately joined the High and Supreme Courts in condemning MNDF’s role in the arrest as unlawful, and requesting that the judge be released.

The judge was released on the afternoon of February 7. Following his resignation, the Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the former president.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)