Author: Minivan News

High Court overturns convictions of murdered MP Afrasheem’s brothers

The High Court yesterday overturned the conviction of former MP Ibrahim Ameen on charges of embezzlement.

Ameen was the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) MP for Raa Ungoofaru, a seat previously held by his late brother, Dr Afrasheem Ali.

The moderate religious scholar was brutally murdered on October 1, 2012. Ameen had won the by-election for Dr Afrasheem’s vacant seat, but did not seek re-election last year.

In May 2014, Ameen was found guilty by the criminal court of embezzling MVR36, 818 (US$2,388) from the Ungoofaru Island Council Office between May 2004 to April 2006 and sentenced to banishment of four years and six months.

Ameen was found guilty as he had been responsible for all incoming cash, but was unable to explain how the cash from the island’s powerhouse went missing.

However, the High Court noted that Ameen’s inability to explain how the money went missing did not amount to a confession or grounds to convict in the absence of other conclusive evidence.

A second brother of Dr Afrasheem, Abdul Nasir Ali, was also handed an 11-year banishment sentence in April 2014 for embezzling MVR114,325 (US$7,414) from the island office. Nasir was also found guilty of embezzling fees paid by the power house.

On April 8 this year, the High Court overturned Nasir’s conviction as well. In Nasir’s case, the appellate court ruled that the funds in question were provided out of Nasir’s pocket to buy diesel for the island’s powerhouse, which reimbursed him through the island office.

The court noted that witness testimony during the criminal court trial proves Nasir’s defence.

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Former president’s son given job at president’s office

Former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s son, Gassan Maumoon, has been appointed state minister at the president’s office today.

Gassan was previously state minister at the ministry of youth and sports. He is president Abdulla Yameen’s nephew.

The reasons for the transfer is unclear.

Gayoom meanwhile denied rumours of a rift between himself and his half-brother this week following claims by the opposition that the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives leader is unhappy with the current administration.

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Environment agency head demoted

Senior officials of the state environment regulator have been transferred in an apparent demotion.

Environment Protection Agency (EPA) director general Ibrahim Naeem was transferred to the Baa atoll biosphere reserve office while director Mohamed Musthafa was transferred to the water and sanitation department of the environment ministry.

The EPA functions under the ministry of environment and energy.

The move follows a government-aligned MP submitting amendments to the tourism law to transfer powers to authorise developments on resorts from the EPA to the tourism ministry.

If the amendments pass, resorts will have to seek authorisation from the tourism ministry for any development on a resort that could “permanently alter” the island, plot of land, or lagoon’s environment. The ministry must compile an environmental impact assessment before issuing permission.

The EPA currently conducts assessments and authorises projects such as land reclamation.

Following preliminary debate at yesterday’s sitting of parliament, the amendment bill was accepted for consideration and sent to committee for further review.

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Dead infant found in Malé lagoon

A dead male infant stuffed into a can was discovered by divers in the Malé lagoon yesterday.

Police said the baby is believed to have been born prematurely at six months and was buried last night.

Two divers reportedly came across the milk can in the lagoon on the western side of the capital, near the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, and alerted police around 3:30pm.

A report titled ‘Maldives Operational Review for the ICPD Beyond 2014′ released by the department of national planning suggested that incidents of infanticide and unsafe abortions are symptoms of a lack of sexual education in young Maldivians.

The report identified, “clear indicators of the imperative need to provide access to information on sexual reproductive health and reproductive health services to the sexually active adolescents and youth population.”

Several cases of infanticide were reported in the media in recent years, including several new born babies and prematurely born infants abandoned in parks, buried in secluded places, or thrown into the sea.

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Dhiggaru by-election brought forward to June 6

The Elections Commission has brought forward the by-election for the vacant parliament seat for the Dhiggaru constituency to June 6.

The commission previously scheduled the election for June 13 after ruling party MP Ahmed Nazim was found guilty of defrauding the state of MVR1.4 million (US$91,400).

The Supreme Court sentenced Nazim to 25 years in prison on April 6, overturning lower court rulings that dismissed the corruption charges against the former deputy speaker of parliament.

The ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) has invited interested candidates to seek the party’s ticket while the opposition alliance has said it will field a single candidate.

The opposition Maldivians Against Brutality coalition, made up of Adhaalath Party, Maldivian Democratic Party, and members of the Jumhooree Party, said they are holding discussions on fielding a single candidate against the PPM.

Adhaalath spokesperson Ali Zahir and a PPM member on the Meemu atoll council, Moosa Naseer, have expressed interest in standing for the vacant seat.

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Police searching for murder suspects

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Police have appealed for public assistance in locating two murder suspects wanted in connection with the fatal stabbing of a 29-year-old.

Noor Adam Hassanfulhu was stabbed outside the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Malé around 1:30am on March 29 and died two hours later while undergoing emergency treatment.

Police are searching for Mohamed Sameeh, 19, and Mohamed Shamlu, 18, both from Fuvahmulah.

Police urged anyone with information of the pair to contact the hotline 3322111 or the organised crime department at 9911099.

Adam’s death marked the fifth murder this year. A 23-year-old was stabbed to death outside his home in the Henveiru ward of Malé on February 21, whilst a 29-year-old was killed in Laamu Mundoo on March 20.

Following Adam’s murder, police launched a joint security operation in the capital with army officers the next day.

Groups of officers have since been patrolling Malé city.

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Construction of tertiary hospital in Hulhumalé to begin in May

Construction work on the private Tree Top Hospital in Hulhumalé is expected to begin next month.

The ministry of health awarded a project to build a multi-specialty tertiary hospital to Tree Top Investments in September last year.

Tree Top Investments was formed in 2013 by four prominent local tourism companies – Champa Brothers, Kasa Holdings, Crown Company, and Kuredu Holdings.

The government-owned Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) in the capital is at present the only tertiary hospital in the country. Establishing tertiary hospitals in the north and south to ease the burden on IGMH, which caters to patients travelling from across the country, is a campaign pledge of President Abdulla Yameen.

At an inauguration ceremony held at the Jen Hotel in Malé yesterday, Tree Top signed a contract with Turkish company Turmaks Alke for the construction of the 159-bed, six-storey hospital.

The expected date for completion is November 11, 2016, with the official opening scheduled for March 1, 2017.

An agreement was also signed with Malaysian company Ramsay Sime Darby for management of the hospital.

Speaking at the ceremony, tourism magnate ‘Champa’ Hussain Afeef said the estimated cost of the project is US$60 million.

Afeef said the resort companies are taking a risk by investing in a tertiary hospital and could face losses for ten years.

“But we are taking that risk because it is very much needed for the Maldives and because we are able to do it,” he was quoted as saying by newspaper Haveeru.

The goal is providing services that are currently unavailable in the Maldives, he added.

Tree Top Director Ahmed Saleem said Ramsay Sime Darby was chosen based on the company’s experience and expertise.

The partnership offers advantages such as exchanging specialists from Malaysian hospitals, he said.

The Malaysian company’s official partner is Ramsay, which is Australia’s largest hospital management company, Saleem noted.

The hospital project was awarded to Treetop last year after initial expressions of interest (EOIs) submitted by 10 companies were cancelled.

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Opposition calls mass May Day rally

The opposition has called for a mass rally on May Day in the hopes of forcing President Abdulla Yameen to negotiate over the imprisonment of political rivals.

But the president’s office today said that Yameen cannot meet the opposition’s demands, reiterating the claim that he has no power over the judiciary.

The opposition Maldivians Against Brutality coalition has been protesting daily for nine weeks over the arrest and imprisonment of ex-president Mohamed Nasheed and ex-defence minister Mohamed Nazim.

Protesters also accuse the government of targeting opposition businesses after Jumhooree Party leader and tourism tycoon Gasim Ibrahim was slapped with a US$100 million fine that may bankrupt his Villa Group.

“We will make our voices heard, we will not remain silent. President Yameen will have to come to the peace table on May 1,” the president of the religious conservative Adhaalath Party said at an opposition rally on Thursday night.

Sheikh Imran Abdulla urged Maldivians from the atolls to join protests in Malé on May 1, similar to a mass rally that was held on February 27. Over 10,000 people attended that march, but it ended unexpectedly after just two hours on Gasim’s orders.

In response to the call for talks, president’s office spokesperson Ibrahim Muaz Ali said that President Yameen had no influence over the criminal court’s sentencing of Nasheed and Nazim.

“There is no seat for the president at a table for unconstitutional demands,” Muaz said.

Nazim was found guilty of smuggling weapons and sentenced to 11 years in prison last month, while Nasheed was sentenced to 13 years in jail over the arrest of a judge during his term in office.

“We have a system of separated powers. Therefore making demands that he cannot meet is forcing him to violate the constitution. The president has very clearly stated he will not interfere in the other branches of the state,” Muaz told newspaper Haveeru.

Muaz said Imran had already held discussions with President Yameen in March shortly before the Adhaalath Party’s split from the ruling coalition. At those talks, the president made similar comments about being unable to influence state bodies, said Muaz.

However, the United Nations, Amnesty International and several countries have been critical of Nasheed’s trial and suggested it was politically motivated.

In recent weeks, police have gradually clamped down on opposition protests, first banning protests and the use of loudspeakers beyond 12 am. The opposition last week was ordered to seek prior permission for protests, although it subsequently held a demonstration on Friday that police did not appear to block.

The Elections Commission has meanwhile sought to fine the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party and Adhaalath Party with thousands of dollars over the protests, but the parties have so far refused to pay.

Muaz claimed the protests were aimed at diverting attention from the government’s development agenda, and said Nasheed and Nazim could appeal their sentences through the courts.

“There is no single day for the president to listen to the people. Everyday is a day he listens to those concerns,” he said.

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