Author: Mohamed Naahee

Jumhoree Party backtracks on challenging Nasheed’s candidacy in Supreme Court

Jumhoree Party (JP) Youth Wing President Moosa Anwar has backtracked on an earlier declaration that he would seek to challenge the Elections Commission’s decision to accept former President Mohamed Nasheed as a presidential candidate in the upcoming election through the Supreme Court.

Hours after making the announcement Anwar reversed his decision, stating that he had been advised to do so by Jumhoree Party officials after he was unable to convince an attorney to take the case.

Anwar lodged a similar lawsuit at the then interim Supreme Court contesting the candidacy of Nasheed prior to the 2008 presidential elections.

Anwar previously contested that Nasheed had been convicted and sentenced for theft in 2001 for taking documents that were to be disposed from Velaanaage, the house belonging to former President Ibrahim Nasir – without permission.

According to media reports at the time, Nasheed attended the auction of the house in October 2001 along with then Minister for Construction and Public Works Umar Zahir and his Assistant Director Ibrahim Fayaz.

Nasheed pulled out scraps of discarded paper from the waste of the partially demolished house, which he later packed and labelled for donation to the National Council of Linguistic and Historical Research.

“They laughed and joked as Nasheed pulled scraps of discarded paper from the dust and rubble of the partially demolished house. Minister Rashida Yusuf was delighted when she recognised former President Nasir’s children’s schoolwork that had been marked by her when she had been his teacher many years ago,” read a special report by the Maldives Culture website.

“These papers were collected by Nasheed who later packed and labelled them for donation to the National Council of Linguistic and Historical Research. It was at this point that Nasheed was arrested and held in solitary confinement for a month before being charged and found guilty of theft, and then sentenced to two and a half years exile in Raa Atoll, away from his family and children who live in Male’. The whole process was over in about two and half hours. Mohamed Nasheed had never admitted to the charges of theft, and the judge denied him his legal rights to present his case or respond to the charges made against him,” according to Maldives Culture’s account of the incident.

The prosecution succeeded in removing Nasheed from his seat in parliament –  a move labelled as politically motivated by various international human rights watchdogs.

An appeal in 2002 against the conviction was rejected by the government – which at the time was also the head of judiciary – despite the attorneys who examined the case pointing to grave flaws in the judgement.

Anwar meanwhile contended that the former president’s conviction was a hadd offence under Islamic Sharia and therefore, Nasheed did not satisfy the criteria set out in constitution for a person to hold the office of president.

Article 109(E) of the constitution demands that a person who holds the office of the president and those that are contesting for the post of presidency must “not have been convicted of a criminal offence and sentenced to a term of more than 12 months, unless a period of three years has elapsed since his release, or pardon for the offence for which he was sentenced”.

The then interim Supreme Court ruled in favour of the former president and declared the Elections Commission’s decision to accept his candidacy as valid, stating that Nasheed’s sentence was not a Hadd offence but a Ta’zir offence under Islamic Sharia.

Under Islamic Sharia law, unlike a Hadd offence which the punishment is prescribed in the holy Quran, Ta’zir offences are punishments applied to the other offences for which no punishment is specified in the Qur’an. It is a lesser degree of offence compared to Hadd offences, and the punishment varies depending on the discretion of the judge or the Qazi.

Anwar told Minivan News today that his latest petition at the Supreme Court would be based on the same grounds with which he challenged Nasheed’s candidacy in 2008. He claimed that he did not believe that Nasheed was eligible to contest in the presidential polls and would lodge the case as soon as the Elections Commission formally announced the candidates list.

Anwar’s submission comes after the five day deadline given by Election Commission regulations to challenge the candidacy of potential presidents. Anwar however had a different interpretation.

“Even back in 2008, I was able to file the case after the time frame given by the Elections Commission. Therefore, I do not believe there was any deadline to file such a case concerning a presidential candidate,” he told Minivan News.

Anwar said he had made several requests to attorneys registered at the Supreme Court to take up the case, but said they were all “too scared” over how “emotional” President Nasheed and his party Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) supporters are.

Therefore, Anwar claimed that he would go all by himself to the Supreme Court, and utilise his “knowledge of the law” during his years spent studying at the faculty of Sharia and Law of the Maldives National University.

“I think it is a problem that our lawyers, judges, police and the military are so afraid of a single individual or a political organisation,” Anwar said, referring to Nasheed and the MDP.

Meanwhile, President Nasheed’s Spokesperson MP Mariya Ahmed Didi told Minivan News that the Supreme Court had previously set strong precedents upholding the Article 60 of the constitutions which prohibits double jeopardy.

Overturning parliament’s deposing of Chair of Civil Service Commission Mohamed Fahmy, the Supreme Court upheld the principle of prohibiting double jeopardy, contending that Fahmy would receive two punishments for the same crime if he was to be removed from his position over the alleged sexual harassment case which is currently looked into by the Prosecutor General.

Therefore, Didi contended that she was confident that the Supreme Court would not accept the case as it was previously decided by the Supreme Court in 2008.

She further claimed that Nasheed’s rival in the election, resort tycoon and presidential hopeful Gasim Ibrahim, was behind the submission of the case, suggesting the move was a desperate ploy in the face of Nasheed’s broad electoral popularity.

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Raajje TV forced to cancel art exhibition after Tourism Ministry refuses access to exhibition hall

Opposition-aligned local broadcaster Raajje Television has claimed that the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture forced it to cancel an art exhibition ‘Dhe Fiyavalhu Fahathah’ (Two steps back) organised by the station, after the Ministry refused to issue access to National Art Gallery over “security concerns”.

The theme of the exhibition of both local and international artists was the controversial ousting of former President Mohamed Nasheed in February 2012.

According to the events official Facebook page, it was to display a “collection of artwork where the artists express their opinion and ‘bigger picture’ of democracy in the Maldives”.

The station had opened the opportunity for artists aged over 18 to submit their work from June 20 to July 26.

Speaking to local media, Deputy CEO of the station Abdulla Yameen claimed it had sought all  necessary permissions and had even entered into an agreement with the National Center for Arts (NCA) to hold the exhibition.

He also said that in order to address any possible security concerns, the station had notified the police and the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF).

“However, until even to the last minute none of the authorities informed us of any security concerns. We had everything arranged for the exhibition and it was expected to kick off later on Friday evening. All our equipment was already inside the art gallery,” said the Deputy CEO.

According to Yameen, when the technical crew returned to the Art Gallery after breaking their fast, they were not allowed inside and were informed that access to the gallery had been restricted on the order of Toursim Minister Ahmed Adheeb.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of the NCA Ali Waheed – President Mohamed Waheed’s brother – told local media that the keys to the gallery had been withheld on the orders of the Tourism Ministry over security concerns as the government’s Independence Day activities were to take place not far from the art gallery.

“Since it would be difficult to inform [the organisers of the exhibition] in writing, we verbally informed them that the art gallery would only be available after July 27. We even got the instruction from the Ministry on Friday. They said it was for security reasons,” Waheed said.

Meanwhile Defence Minister Ahmed Nazim was quoted in local media as saying it was not advisable to hold such an exhibition in a venue near the Independence Day activities, and said he had notified the Tourism Minister.

Nazim however denied giving any orders to restrict access to the art gallery, claiming the decision to block access to the art gallery was made solely by the Tourism Ministry.

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Supreme Court challenges Maldives Bar Association for using the word ‘bar’ in its name

The Supreme Court has allegedly requested the Ministry of Home Affairs to look into the procedures of how the Maldives Bar Association was formed claiming that the use of the word ‘Bar’ in the association’s name was leading to “confusion” among international legal and judicial groups.

The Maldives Bar Association was formed in April to empower, lobby and advocate on behalf of legal practitioners. It was also charged with addressing problems faced by lawyers within the judiciary. The association is currently headed by veteran lawyer and former Attorney General, Husnu Al Suood.

In a letter obtained by Minivan News, allegedly sent by the Supreme Court to the Ministry on May 5, the apex court claimed that in other developed countries, the phrase “Bar” referred to a formal statutory body that represents the entire legal community, unlike the current Maldives Bar Association which is an NGO.

“The newly registered ‘Bar Association’ is an NGO belonging only to its founding members, and considering the confusion that may arise due to a group of individuals using such a name, the judges panel of Supreme Court have on April 30 decided to request the Home Ministry to look into the matter,” read the letter.

Meanwhile, in a second letter, the Ministry of Home Affairs responded to the Supreme Court’s letter stating that prior to the registration of the association, the ministry had consulted with the Attorney General’s office regarding the name.

In response, the ministry stated that the Attorney General did not object to the name, but had requested it reserve the name ‘Maldives Bar Council’ – an institution that is yet to be established under the proposed Legal Practitioners Bill, which the Attorney General’s office is currently in the process of drafting.

Speaking to Minivan News, Maldives Bar Association Secretary General Anas Abdul Sattar disputed the Supreme Court’s view that the term ‘Bar’ was limited to formal statutory bodies.

“Even in India, there is the Bombay Bar Association. The Bombay Bar Council which was formed by a statute came to existence much later, but the bar association still continues to function,” Sattar contended.

Sattar said that Supreme Court was not making the right decision if it were to contend that the term ‘bar’ must only be limited to formal and statutory institutions.

Meanwhile, an attorney working closely with the association told Minivan News on condition of anonymity that the Supreme Court was upset about international organisations recognising the association.

“The Supreme Court was informing those organisations that the Maldives did not have a bar council. They then claimed that they would like to affiliate with the bar association, and that the association satisfied their criterion,” the attorney said.

“If you look into the details, Supreme Court is currently not affiliated with any such organisations and they seemed pretty upset when the international legal community started to recognise the association,” he added.

Minivan News contacted the Supreme Court for a response, but the official demanded formal enquiries in writing and said the court would “respond if appropriate”.

The Supreme Court’s letter challenging the bar association follows its vocal calls for the suspension of Supreme Court Justice Ali Hameed, following the release of multiple sex tapes featuring the judge.

Hameed is under investigation by both the police and JSC over the circulation of at least three sex videos apparently depicting him fornicating with unidentified foreign women.

In a previous statement, the association challenged the independence and transparency of any Judicial Service Commission (JSC) investigation into the matter that proceeded without first suspending the judge.

The Maldives Bar Association claimed that it was “against principles adopted in modern democratic societies” to allow Supreme Court Justice Ali Hameed to remain on the bench while he faced allegations of adultery and other concerning conduct.

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Nasheed dismisses allegations of SAARC Summit embezzlement, acknowledges overspend: “Senior officials wanted things to get done quickly”

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) presidential candidate and former President Mohamed Nasheed has dismissed allegations that his government embezzled state funds to host the 17th SAARC Summit, but acknowledged that it was possible money had been spent contrary to the Public Finance Act.

The Auditor General’s report on government expenses for the 17th SAARC Summit held in Addu City and Fuvahmulah in 2011, revealed several financial discrepancies including an overspend of more than MVR 430 million (US$27.9 million) on the event’s allocated budget.

According to the report compiled through audits of expenditure by the Ministry of Housing, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the President’s Office and the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF), Nasheed’s government spent MVR 667,874,870.84 (US$ 43.3 million), on the summit – 188.82 percent more than the MVR 231,240,000 (US$14.99 million) budget passed by parliament.

Speaking during a campaign rally held at Haa Dhaal Atoll Vaikaradhoo Island yesterday (July 24), the former President welcomed the audit reports on his administration and echoed his party’s position that no corruption was involved in the spending.

“Since the ratification of the 2008 constitution, and since the beginning of word to word enforcement of laws that came after the ratification, it is quite possible that there may be certain things carried out in contrast with the public finance act. This is because senior officials of the government wanted things to get done quickly,” Nasheed said.

Discrepancies highlighted in the report included financial losses incurred by the government, violations of the Public Finance Act and Public Finance Regulation and wasteful spending.

However, the opposition MDP dismissed the findings of the report describing it as “naive” and “misguided political posturing”, while also challenging its credibility and accuracy.

“It is not possible for the MDP-led government to be involved in blatant corruption. Because we came with a plan and strategy for reforms,” said MDP’s Spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor at the time.

“Looking at perspective of development and progress, we see this report as just ‘petty accusations’. The report lacked due procedure, impartiality and transparency. It may have been possibly influenced by the political vibe in the country.”

Nasheed stressed that he had not dishonored the trust that the people had placed in him, and had not embezzled “a single laari” from the state budget.

The audit report on the SAARC Summit was released during the MDP’s campaigning ahead of the upcoming 2013 election.

Previous reports

A similar wave of audit reports were released shortly before the 2008 presidential elections, revealing the extravagant spending of then President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom – who now heads the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), claiming for presidency in September.

In April 2009, former Auditor General Ibrahim Naeem – the country’s first independent auditor general, who was appointed by Gayoom in January 2008 – released a damning audit report (English) of the presidential palace’s finances, revealing that over US$3 million earmarked for helping the poor was spent on “the president’s relatives, ministers and their families, senior government officials and some MPs.”

More than SGD$2.3 million (US$1,500,000) was spent on one of Gayoom’s relatives and his family on trips to Singapore throughout 2007 and SGD$ 1.4 million (US$930,000) for another relative and his family for multiple trips to Singapore.

In March 2008, SGD$23,756 (US$16,000) was spent for a minister’s grandson to stay in a hotel in Singapore for 21 days; in April, SGD$50,022 (US$33,000) was spent on medical expenses for a friend of the president; and in July 2008, SGD$6,905 (US$4,600) was spent on two pairs of glasses for a minister and his wife.

In October 2012, Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Rozaina Adam leaked invoices and bills of the spending through the social media, which revealed extravagant expenses of former President Gayoom’s family out of the former presidential palace Theemuge’s budget allocated for helping the poor.

Among the spending included, money spent on trouser materials, jewellery and expensive family stays at luxurious hotels and resorts abroad.

An invoice dated March 31, 2008 showed SG$ 14,977 spent for trouser material (polyester viscose), which was authorised and signed by former Executive Director of the Presidential Palace Ismail Faiz.

On December 20, 2006, a purple gold diamond pendant for SGD$824 and purple gold diamond bracelet for SGD$1,510 were bought using Nasreena’s credit card. Another invoice showed over SGD$28,000 paid out of the Theemuge account to the Grand Hyatt in Singapore.

Moreover, an average of MVR 5,500 (US$430) a day was spent on food for the former President and his family – equivalent to one month’s wages for an employee working in the palace at the time.

So far no action has been taken against any of the embezzlement allegations.

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SAARC Summit ran US$28 million over budget: Auditor General

The Auditor General’s report on government expenses for the 17th SAARC Summit held in Addu City and Fuvahmulah in 2010 has revealed several financial discrepancies including an overspend of more than MVR 430 million (US$27.9 million) on the event’s allocated budget.

According to the report (Dhivehi), former President Mohamed Nasheed’s government spent MVR 667,874,870.84 (US$ 43.3 million), on the summit – 188.82 percent more than the MVR 231,240,000 (US$14.99 million) budget passed by parliament.

The report was compiled through audits of expenditure by the Ministry of Housing, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the President’s Office and the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF).

The report also made several recommendations including the recovery of money spent, as well as action against those found responsible for the expenses.

The release of the report comes at a time when former President Nasheed – who headed the Maldivian delegation at the summit – is campaigning for a second term in the upcoming 2013 election as the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) presidential candidate.

More than a year after the summit, Nasheed was ousted from government in what his party described as a “bloodless coup d’état”, amid a mutiny by sections of the police and military. His controversial resignation followed weeks of anti-government protests that began in January 2012 after the detention of the Chief Judge of Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed over allegations he posed a threat to national security.

Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) presidential candidate Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom condemned the financial discrepancies highlighted in the report, prior to its release.

Discrepancies

“Until the end of March 2013, excluding the grant aid and projects, a sum of MVR 667,874,870.84 (US$43.3 million) was spent. This figure is MVR 436,634,870 (US$ 28.5 million) or 188.82 percent more than the budget passed by the parliament to conduct the SAARC summit. The figure that was passed by parliament was MVR 231,240,000. No parliamentary consent as required by Article 96(c) of the constitution was obtained in spending the sum,” read the Auditor General’s report.

Other discrepancies pointed out in the report included an additional MVR 61.8 million (US$4 million) being paid for the construction of the Equatorial Convention Centre built for the summit.

The report stated that the initial cost of the project proposed by the contractor Ameen Construction Private Limited stood at MVR 210.4 million (US$13.7 million). However, after negotiations and changes to the materials being used and the overall design of the structure, a figure of MVR 150 million (US$9.7 million) was agreed between the contractor and the Ministry of Housing and Environment.

“However, due to changes brought to the plan by the government, the cost of completing the convention centre stood at MVR 211,852,834.84 (US$13.8 million). [This was] MVR 61,852,834.84 (US$4 million) or 41 percent excess of the amount that was agreed,” the report claimed.

The report noted the cost, which was more than the initial proposition from contractor, resulted from failure in properly planning the project and frequent changes brought to the agreed design in a non ad-hoc manner.

Apart from the costs, due to a delay in depositing the advance guarantee, the government claimed that the SAARC Convention centre needed to be built as quickly as possible, an advance payment of MVR 30 million (US$ 1.9 million) was paid to the contractor. The report added that the advance guarantee, which included both the advance payment and performance guarantee, had not been deposited.

The advance payment of MVR 30 million was given by the government after converting the retention money taken from the same contractor on a different government contract as the payment guarantee of the convention centre project.

This conversion, the report said, could be perceived as an attempt by the government to financially support a specific party contravening existing laws, since other companies who had proposed their bid did not have any retention money owed by the government and could not therefore enjoy the same privileges.

The Auditor General’s findings said that the advance MVR 30 million payment was made in contrast to section 8.23 of Public Finance Regulation, which states that any such advance payment should not exceed 15 percent of total costs. The MVR 30 million advance stands at around 20 percent of the cost, the report added.

Other discrepancies highlighted in the report included financial losses incurred by the government, violations of Public Finance Act and Public Finance Regulation and wasteful spending.

MDP response

Former ruling party MDP Spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor described the report as “naive” and “misguided political posturing”, while challenging its credibility.

“What we are saying is that after an audit report is released, the litigation based on the findings must begin as soon as possible. The longer time between the release of the report and start of litigation means such reports are open for political manipulation,” he said.

Ghafoor claimed that MDP came out to reform the country, which included fighting against corruption.

“It is not possible for the MDP-led government to be involved in blatant corruption. Because we came with a plan and strategy for reforms,” Ghafoor contended.

He also said that the public will judge the audit reports and will know how politically motivated the report is.

“Looking at perspective of development and progress, we see this report as just ‘petty accusations’. The report lacked due procedure, impartiality and transparency. It may have been possibly influenced by the political vibe in the country,” Ghafoor alleged.

Auditor General Niyaz Ibrahim meanwhile disputed in local media that the timing of the audit report before the election was political, stating that information contained in such reports was necessary for people to make informed decisions.

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Dr Hassan Saeed unveiled as the running mate of resort tycoon Gasim Ibrahim

Resort tycoon and Leader of the Jumhoree Party (JP) Gasim Ibrahim has announced former Special Advisor to President Mohamed Waheed, Dr Hassan Saeed as his running mate for the upcoming presidential elections scheduled to take place in September.

The Chairman of Villa Group is among the five candidates who have formally declared their intention to contest in the presidential race. Other candidates include opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) candidate former President Mohamed Nasheed, Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) candidate Abdulla Yameen, and current President Waheed – who heads the ‘forward with the nation’ coalition consisting of his party Gaumee Iththihaadh Party (GIP) and Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP). Former PPM Council member Dr Ahmed Saud has also declared that he will be contesting the polls as an independent.

Shortly after President Waheed’s controversial ascension to power in February 2012, Saeed was appointed to the position of Special Advisor. The Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) – of which Saeed is the leader – was announced as part of Waheed’s new national unity government. Last April, DQP announced its plan to join President Waheed’s coalition and support his bid to seek re-election.

However, Saeed last Thursday made a sudden announcement that he and his party had decided to leave Waheed’s coalition, claiming that President Waheed was strongly influenced by his family and relatives, was making decisions from his “palace” instead of discussing with other coalition partners.

In a statement released by the DQP at the time, the party said its council had unanimously agreed to leave the coalition after accusing Waheed of being incapable of protecting the interests of his coalition partners.

“The president dissolved the steering committee established with coalition partners to resolve issues within the coalition and resorted to taking decisions within his palace,” read the DQP statement. “Therefore, despite repeated efforts, President Waheed’s failure to resolve these issues” forced the party to leave the coalition, DQP claimed at the time.

The accusations were dismissed by the ‘Forward with the nation’ coalition and claimed that DQP’s departure would have little effect on its campaign.

In a campaign rally held last Friday evening, Gasim Ibrahim declared that Saeed will be his running mate and that Jumhoree Party have come to a coalition agreement with Saeed’s DQP and the religious conservative Adhaalath Party. Gasim also said that the three parties will contest in the presidential elections as a coalition under his leadership.

The Adhaalath Party was also initially part of President Waheed’s coalition but later left, criticising the campaigning and claiming “unknown activities” were being carried out within the coalition.

The party’s decision to part ways with President Waheed came shortly after the party slammed Waheed for telling the AFP that it had “extremist” elements within the party ranks. Adhaalath responded strongly to the remarks dismissing that it held “extreme views” and claimed that the party did not promote extremism but had always stood by “Islamic principles”.

Addressing the small number of people gathered during the rally, Gasim Ibrahim spoke highly of both Saeed and the Adhaalath Party.

Gasim, who claimed he met Saeed while during the formulation of the current constitution, described him as an “educated, experienced and hard working person who would never be involved in any corrupt activity”.

He also praised the Adhaalath Party stating that the religious conservative party had proven its “sincerity and integrity” even in 2008 presidential elections by joining his party, and claimed that it was prepared to make “any necessary sacrifice” for the country.

“This is indeed a memorable night for all three parties. This coalition represents a group of individuals committed to uphold the national unity and Islam,” Gasim said.

He further said that the coalition, once elected, would steer the country towards a safe harbour and bring development and progress to the people.

Hassan Saeed addressed the crowd, praising Gasim’s efforts during the reform movement and claimed that the resort tycoon was behind a lot of reforms. Saeed described Gasim as an individual who would not waste time to make important decisions concerning the people and development.

“In our government, political-economic principles will be based on the principle which will make Maldivian multi-millionaires into billionaires, make millionaires into multi-millionaires, and make average businessmen into millionaires. It is the principle that will allow expansion of smaller businesses to medium and large ones,” he said.

Both Saeed and Gasim contested in 2008 presidential elections as separate candidates and came to third and fourth positions behind then President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and Nasheed. In the run-off elections, both Saeed and Gasim backed Nasheed and campaigned strongly against former President Gayoom.

Once elected, Saeed was appointed as the Special Advisor to Nasheed while Gasim was appointed as the Home Minister. However three months into the new government, both Saeed and Gasim left government and joined the then opposition. Both Saeed and Gasim later played a significant role in ousting Nasheed’s administration from power.

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DQP, Dr Hassan Saeed quit President Waheed’s coalition: “too much family, expatriate influence”

The government-aligned Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) has announced that it has left President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s ‘forward with the nation’ coalition, ending its support for his 2013 election bid.

The decision came shortly after the religious conservative Adhaalath Party left the coalition and joined resort tycoon Gasim Ibrahim’s Jumhoree Party (JP).

Local media is speculating that DQP Leader Dr Hassan Saeed – President Waheed’s Special Advisor since the controversial February 7 transfer of power – is likely to be announced as Gasim’s running mate.

In a statement released by the DQP on Thursday, the party said its council had unanimously agreed to leave the coalition, and accused President Waheed of being incapable of protecting the interests of his coalition partners.

Instead, the party alleged, Waheed was turning to “family influence” in making key decisions.

“The president dissolved the steering committee established with coalition partners to resolve issues within the coalition and resorted to taking decisions within his palace,” read the DQP statement.

Among other concerns, the party claimed that no key roles were given to coalition partners in the presidential campaign, which were instead outsourced to the president’s “family members and expatriates”.

The DQP alleged that some coalition partners had also breached their initial agreement to work together and were secretly attempting to induce members of other coalition partners to join their party.

The DQP, which has a membership of less than 1800 people, also claimed that president Waheed gave more priority to those who financially backed him over those who supported him with “sincerity and genuineness”.

“Therefore, despite repeated efforts, President Waheed’s failure to resolve these issues” forced the party to leave the coalition, DQP said.

Responding to the statement, a source in Waheed’s coalition told Minivan News that the DQP’s decision to leave the ‘Forward with the nation’ coalition was unexpected, when compared to the departure of the Adhaalath Party last week.

The source said DQP Leader Dr Hassan Saeed was himself in attendance during an official signing event held yesterday by Waheed, who was seeking 1,500 signatures needed to apply for candidacy as an independent. Saeed had been booked to attend another campaign visit over the coming days, the source said.

Despite the defection, the source claimed President Waheed’s campaigning would not be impacted by sudden defection of the DQP in any way.

“The [DQP] is a very small party of around 2000 members so we are not expecting much of an impact,” the source said.

With the departure of both the DQP and the Adhaalath party, President Waheed’s coalition now consists of his own Gaumee Ithihaad Party (GIP) and the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP).

DRP leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali was earlier been unveiled as Waheed’s running mate, although whether the pair will contest on the same independent ticket remains uncertain.

“There are people trying to bar me from competing. I will not be the one to get caught in that trap,” Waheed said earlier this week.

“So I intend to take the form and go on the streets. I will visit houses, carrying the form, during the next two days and ask those who wish to see me remain in this post for another term to sign.”

Dr Hassan Saeed has meanwhile resigned from his position as Waheed’s special advisor, shortly after the DQP announced its decision to side with Gasim Ibrahim.

Saeed was promptly replaced by former Attorney General Aishath Bisham.

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JSC votes not to suspend Supreme Court Judge in sex video, due to “lack of evidence”

Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has decided not to suspend Supreme Court Justice Ali Hameed, who is currently under both police and JSC investigation following the circulation of a sex video apparently depicting the judge fornicating with an unidentified foreign woman.

Four members of the JSC voted in support of a motion on Wednesday to not suspend the Supreme Court Justice, over due to “lack of evidence”.

The decision disregarded the recommendation of the JSC’s own five member committee investigating the judge’s conduct in multiple leaked videos.

The four members who supported the motion to not suspend the judge included parliament representative, resort tycoon and presidential candidate MP Gasim Ibrahim, Attorney General Aishath Azima Shukoor, President Waheed’s representative Latheefa Gasim, and Chair of the Civil Service Commission, Mohamed Fahmy Hassan, who was recently dismissed by parliament in no-confidence motion over allegations of sexual harassment, but later reinstated by the Supreme Court.

JSC members Shuaib Abdul Rahmaan, Ahmed Rasheed and Abdulla Hameed did not support the motion.

Following the decision, JSC Deputy Chairman Abdulla Mohamed Didi and Latheefa Gasim resigned from the five-member committee investigating the matter.

The video of the Supreme Court Justice allegedly indulging in adultery came into media limelight following the arrest of Ahmed Faiz – a senior Council Member of President Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s Gaumee Ihthihaad Party (GIP) and former Project Advisor at the Housing Ministry.

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.

The JSC is also investigating a further two videos involving the Supreme Court Judge, including spy cam videos of Hameed discussing political corruption of the judiciary with a local businessman, and a meeting with former Immigration Controller Ilyas Hussain Ibrahim.

A question of “details”

Gasim Ibrahim had previously defended Justice Hameed during a campaign rally, claiming that the alleged sex-tape was a “fake”. He was criticised by former Attorney General Husnu Suood for breaching the JSC’s code of conduct.

Attorney General Shukoor defended the commission’s decision claiming that the five member sub-committee needed more details on the case in order to suspend the judge, claiming the decision not to suspend Hameed was to give the committee time to come up with these details.

“The motion was passed when called for a vote. Therefore it must be noted that there was no motion calling to take action against the Supreme Court Justice during the meeting,” read the statement by Shukoor, defending the decision.

Discrimination between judges

JSC member Shuaib Abdul Rahmaan told Minivan News the commission’s enforcement of disciplinary action towards higher and lower court judges lacked consistency, despite all judges sharing the same code of conduct.

“Criminal Court Judge Abdul Baari Yoosuf was previously suspended and asked not to report for work [during a JSC investigation into his alleged sexual assault of a female lawyer].

“However, in the case of Supreme Court Justice Ali Hameed, despite there being much stronger evidence, the commission members are reluctant to take action. Last time, even Azima Shukoor and Gasim Ibrahim voted in favour of suspending Baari,” Shuaib said.

He dismissed Shukoor’s statement stating that a motion to suspend the judge would be re-tabled.

“No, there was no decision reached at the meeting to re-agenda the matter,” he said.

Asked about the specific details the commission was seeking from the sub-committee, Shuaib said that these carried no weight and would not change the course of the investigation.

According to local media reports, the decision led to a falling out between members of the JSC including its Vice Chair Abdulla Didi – who chaired the meeting due to the absence of the commission’s chair Supreme Court Justice Adam Mohamed.

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Nasheed pledges to bridge islands in capital and build 12,000 new housing units

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Presidential Candidate, former President Mohamed Nasheed, has pledged he will connect the islands within the Male City via a bridge and will build additional 12,000 housing units should he be elected president in September’s elections.

Nasheed made the remarks during a campaign gathering in the Henveiru ward of Male’ on Tuesday evening.

Speaking during the gathering, Nasheed claimed the MDP believed in interconnecting the islands in order to resolve issues of congestion and over population in the city.

Although located in Kaafu Atoll, Male’ City is not administratively considered a part of the atoll. It currently consists of Male’ Island, Villingili Island, the airport Island Hulhule, Industrial island of Thilafushi and artificially reclaimed islands Hulhumale’ and Gulhi Falhu.

Except for Hulhule and Hulhumale’, the remaining islands are currently interconnected by ferry boats which have at times proven ineffective due to bad weather.

Previous plans

Nasheed had previously during his presidency reiterated the necessity for the government to built a bridge connecting the islands of Male’ and Hulhumale’ – an artificially reclaimed island built to combat the rising population of Male  – claiming that the existing ferry system was insufficient to accommodate the growing populations on both islands.

In December 2011, Nasheed’s cabinet decided to proceed with the construction of a bridge between Male’ and Hulhule, under the Male’ decongestion plans which the government said was intended to provide affordable housing for the people, and resolve other social issues.

Following the ousting of Nasheed’s administration two months later, his successor President Mohamed Waheed announced it had been trying to get a US$150 million loan (MVR 2.31 billion) from Turkey’s Exim bank to fund the project.

“We are presently in discussion with Turkey’s Exim bank to obtain a US$ 150 million loan for this project. The decision has been made to travel to Turkey for this purpose, but the loan is not yet confirmed,” Finance Minister Jihad told local media at the time.

President Waheed’s Housing Minister Mohamed Muizzu earlier said that government had received proposals from several international companies to construct such a bridge.

The Minister at the time claimed that two companies from China, one each from South Korea and Turkey had expressed interest in building the bridge.

“The companies have held discussions with me over building the bridge. The companies have also submitted ways to obtain funds. I hope that the project can begin before too long,” the minister said at the time.

Pledged 12,000 housing units

Nasheed during his speech on Tuesday said his vision was to provide 12,000 new housing units for the people of Male, and stressed that such a project is feasible.

“Our target is to connect Male’, Hulhule, Villingili, Thilafushi and Gulhifalhu and build a road that connects all these islands,” Nasheed said.

He further said that total cost of building the needed bridges stood at around US$100 million, and that it was possible for such a project to be completed through Public Private Partnership (PPP).

The former president highlighted that funds needed to build the 12,000 housing units could be generated through the sale of lands that would be reclaimed from Gulhifalhu and Hulhumale’.

“By reclaiming the land and by selling those lands, this project can be completed. We will make that project a successful project and hopefully by the end of 2015, we will try to build housing units for all those who are currently in need of it,” Nasheed said.

Speaking about the previous Veshi Fahi Male’ de-congestion project which was initiated by Nasheed himself during his presidency, said that he had learnt of many people who wished to see the project expanded during the MDP’s door-to-door campaigns.

Nasheed promised the project would be expanded and enhanced in an MDP-led government, which would provide affordable housing to residents of Male City.

The Veshi Fahi Male’ de-congestion programme was a flagship project of Nasheed’s government under the MDP’s manifesto pledge to provide affordable housing.

The project was launched on November 10, 2010 to ease congestion in the capital and develop the Greater Male’ Region, composed of Hulhumale’, Villingili, Thilafushi industrial island and Gulhifalhu.

Approximately 125,000 people are believed to reside in about 16,000 households in Male’; the total number of households in the Maldives is estimated to be 46,000.

“Once the reclamation of these islands are completed there would be space for more housing units even after building the targeted 12,000 units,” Nasheed said.

“MDP is proposing well-rounded policies. MDP is proposing an opportunity for development, a vision to help the people of this country find a better alternative,” he added.

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