Author: Mohamed Naahee

Resort tycoon unveils “Religion and Nationalism Policy”, promises to strengthen Islamic faith

The Jumhoree Party (JP) has unveiled its “Religion and Nationalism Policy” – a set of objectives focusing on strengthening Islamic faith and national identity in the Maldives – as part of party leader Gasim Ibrahim’s bid for presidency in the upcoming elections.

Both the religious conservative Adhaalath Party (AP) and Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) recently defected to Gasim from President Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s coalition, forming the ‘Jumhoree Alliance’ – a coalition consisting of the three parties.

DQP Leader Hassan Saeed was subsequently appointed as Gasim’s running mate.

In a rally held to unveil the policy on Tuesday, Gasim stressed his “personal efforts” defending national identity and the religion, claiming to have been the mastermind behind the constitutional prerequisite that in order to be a Maldivian, one must be a Muslim.

During the constitution drafting process Gasim claimed that, despite a small group of people objecting to the mandatory requirement, it was he who forced the article into the constitution by invoking his power as Speaker of the Assembly. As a result, Article 9(d) of the constitution states “a non-Muslim may not become a citizen of the Maldives”.

“I made the proposition to include the article demanding that every Maldivian citizen must be a Muslim. I did this by invoking the powers vested to the Speaker of the Constitutional Assembly under the previous constitution,” Gasim said. “Despite opposition from a few, I carried out my religious and national duty courageously believing in Allah. By the will of Allah, I was able to succeed.”

Gasim also he had worked to include the article because 99 percent of Maldivian people did not want any other religion allowed in the Maldives, although he admitted that a few individuals did not share the same view as he did.

Meanwhile as head of the Villa resort chain Gasim remains one of the country’s single largest importers of alcohol, with customs records for 2011 revealing that his hotels – including the Royal, Paradise, Sun, and Holiday Island resorts – imported approximately 121,234.51 litres of beer, 2048 litres of whiskey, 3684 litres of vodka and 219.96 kilograms of pork sausages annually, among other haram (prohibited) commodities restricted to ‘uninhabited’ islands.

Focus on Islamic education and an Islamic University

The Chairman of Villa Group also promised that in his future government he would make the subjects Islam and Quran mandatory in all schools up to grade 10. He said he was promising this because people wanted it to be that way and that no one can “challenge” the wishes of the people.

“I do not wish to rule upon you as a king, but rather as your servant,” he claimed.

Gasim also said that the Jumhoree Party intends to establish an Islamic University in the country that would teach Arabic and Islamic Studies. He also promised to establish Islamic education centres in other regions of the Maldives as part of his government’s bid to strengthen people’s faith in Islam.

Speaking during the rally, Minister of Islamic Affairs Shaheem Ali Saeed – who is the Chair of Adhaalath Party’s Foreign Relations Committee – said the Jumhoree Alliance was the only political group with the technical people required to defend Islam.

He claimed there was no other political party or political group able to overpower the strength of the coalition in academic merit or experience.

Strengthening Islamic faith among youth

Shaheem meanwhile claimed a Jumhoree government’s educational focus was the establishment of an Islamic University. He promised that within the first year of government, legislation would be proposed to parliament to upgrade the current Islamic College Kulliyath’ Al Dhiraasath al Islamiyya to an Islamic University.

He also promised that schools teaching in the Arabic medium will be set up in four regions of the country other than in Male’, claiming that a lot of people had complained to him over a lack of Arabic teaching schools.

“These things will turn out to be a defining step in renewing our Islamic identity. These policies are important steps that will be taken for the benefit of this country. The most prestigious promise made by our leader Gasim Ibrahim is to keep this country as an Islamic state,” Shaheem said.

Shaheem claimed that making Quran a mandatory subject for students was part of Jumhoree party’s belief in strengthening Islamic faith among young people.

“The result will be that young people will have stronger faith in Islam and a renewed spirit of nationalism,” he said.

The Islamic Minister said under a Jumhoree government, efforts would be made to strengthen ties with Islamic states that would help other Muslims living in difficult situations – such as Maldivians.

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Elections Commission claims 50,000 voters re-registered as deadline approaches

The Elections Commission (EC) has announced that more than 50,000 people have re-registered to vote at the commission, a day before the deadline.

Re-registration is necessary for those intending to vote at a polling station other than that listed with the Elections Commission, such as a worker based on a resort island or student in Male. Similarly, Maldivians residing abroad are also required to re-register in order to vote in the country of residence.

Registration can be easily checked using a national ID number and the EC’s 1414 SMS system (text 1414 in the format ‘VIS [National ID #]’.

The Elections Commission has previously announced that it intends to place ballot boxes in India’s Trivandrum and New Delhi, Colombo, London, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore – areas having significant populations of Maldivian expatriates.

By law, a minimum of 100 voters are required to register in any region for a ballot box to be placed.

The commission last week warned that low registration in London, Singapore and New Delhi could mean it would not be able to place ballot boxes in these locations. However by today, only New Delhi and Singapore still lacked the minimum number of registrations, with just 50 registered at the latter.

EC President Fuwad Thowfeek told local media today that he expected large number of re-registration forms would be submitted to the commission in the remaining period.

“Many re-registration forms will come in on the last day. That’s something we know from experience,” Thowfeek told Haveeru.

According to Thowfeek, the commission will stop accepting re-registration forms after Wednesday as per the previously set deadline of August 7. The commission has meanwhile ruled out any possibility of extending the deadline.

“The door for re-registration will be closed tomorrow night at 12 o’clock. After that we can’t accept any forms. We are expecting a large number of forms before the deadline expires,” he added.

Elections Commission has previously estimated that around 65,000 people will re-register before the deadline. Thowfeek appeared confident that the numbers would reach the commission’s estimate prior to the deadline.

The Presidential Elections are scheduled to take place on September 7. If no candidate attains the required 50 percent plus one vote to secure a first round victory, a run-off election will take place 20 days after the first election.

The commission has announced that four candidates will be competing in the elections.

The candidates are leader of the Jumhoree Party (JP) Gasim Ibrahim (running mate Dr Hassan Saeed), Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) candidate former President Mohamed Nasheed (running mate Dr Musthafa Luthfy), incumbent President and independent candidate Dr Mohamed Waheed (running mate DRP leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali) and Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) candidate Abdulla Yameen (running mate Dr Mohamed Jameel).

Check the voter registry and registered place of voting

Download registration form (Dhivehi)

In the Maldives? Check your details via SMS

To check where/if you are registered to vote, SMS 1414 ‘VIS(space)(National ID#)’

To check political party registration, SMS 1414 ‘PPR(space)(National ID#)’

Elections Commission hotline: 1414

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Leaked recording of Yameen admitting poor election chances a fake: PPM

The Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and its presidential candidate Abdulla Yameen have dismissed as fake a leaked audio clip circulating on social media, in which Yameen admits to a “poor chance” of winning the upcoming 2013 presidential election.

The audio clip appears to be part of a telephone conversation uploaded on video sharing website YouTube, and was picked up by local media today. In the audio, a voice supposedly belonging to Yameen refers to an unnamed political party and concedes that his party does not stand a chance in an election against it.

“2013 [Presidential Election] is something which they already have in their bag. They already have won it. Therefore I don’t think we have a chance of  any success in the 2013 presidential elections. I think we should now focus on 2018 [presidential elections],” the voice states, in the 19 second recording.

Speaking to local media outlet Sun Online, Yameen dismissed the audio clip describing as “completely fake”.

Meanwhile, Spokesperson for PPM’s Presidential Campaign Ibrahim Muaz told Minivan News he believed the clip was most likely to be a “compilation made by mixing several voice clips of Yameen taken from speeches given by him in various press conferences and interviews”.

“The audio clip which has been reported in local media as an audio clip of Yameen is not real,” Muaz said.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PleWqNAOCJI

Rise of party’s presidential candidate

Yameen – who is the half brother of Maldives former autocratic ruler for 30 years, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom – was made the party’s official presidential candidate after he won the party’s presidential primaries by a landslide victory, defeating his rival Umar Naseer.

Umar Naseer during the primary accused Yameen of involvement in drug trafficking, commissioning gangs to destroy political opponents, and corruption.  Following the defeat Naseer alleged that the PPM’s presidential primary was rigged and that his rival Yameen had intimidated his supporters.

Naseer was subsequently dismissed from the party after he refused to apologise to Yameen for the allegations.

He later joined the ‘Jumhoree Coalition’ led by resort tycoon and Leader of Jumhoree Party (JP) Gasim Ibrahim – himself a presidential candidate for the forthcoming elections. During Naseer’s maiden speech at the JP podium, he claimed that Yameen was the “root of all the problems” faced in the Maldives.

“The 40,000 illegal immigrants who have entered the country are people brought in under [Yameen’s] nose. People say that there is a connection between Yameen and the illicit drugs that are sold on the streets of Maldives,” Naseer alleged at the time. “If Yameen comes to power, nothing but an empty pit will remain where the country’s safe deposit ought to be.”

Economy and youth

Meanwhile Yameen launched his presidential bid primarily on the “economy” and the “youth”. He claimed that a future government led by him would focus on securing foreign investment and the creation of job opportunities for young people.

“Given the current economic situation, local businessmen alone cannot create enough job opportunities. We must welcome foreign investors for the benefit of our nation,” he said at the time.

Yameen also announced that should he be sworn in as president, he would initiate an expedition to find oil within the Maldives.

“It is very possible oil might be found,” he declared.

Money laundering racket

In 2011, Singaporean police reportedly investigated Yameen for alleged involvement in an international money laundering racket thought to be worth up to US$800 million.

The oil trade first came into the limelight following an explosive article in India’s The Week magazine by Sumon K Chakrabarti, Chief National Correspondent of CNN-IBN, which accused Yameen –who was the head of State Trading Organisation (STO) at the time –  of being “the kingpin” of a scheme to buy subsidised oil through the State Trading Organisation’s branch in Singapore and sell it on through an entity called ‘Mocom Trading’ to the Burmese military junta, at a black market premium.

“The Maldives receives subsidised oil from OPEC nations, thanks to its 100 percent Sunni Muslim population. The Gayooms bought oil, saying it was for the Maldives, and sold it to Myanmar on the international black market. As Myanmar is facing international sanctions, the junta secretly sold the Burmese and ‘Maldivian’ oil to certain Asian countries, including a wannabe superpower,” Chakrabarti wrote.

The article drew heavily on the investigation report by Grant Thorton, commissioned by the Maldives government in March 2010, which obtained three hard drives containing financial information detailing transactions from 2002 to 2008. No digital data was available before 2002, and the paper trail “was hazy”.

According to The Week, Grant Thorton’s report identifies Myanmar businessman and head of the Kanbawza Bank and Kanbawza Football Club, Aung Ko Win, as the middleman acting between the Maldivian connection and Vice-Senior General Maung Aye, then the second highest-ranking member of the Burmese junta.

Yameen has previously dismissed the allegations as baseless and unfounded.

Besides Yameen and Gasim, incumbent President Mohamed Waheed and former President Mohamed Nasheed are also contesting the election on September 7.

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JSC lifts suspension of magistrate for Villingili, Gaaf Alif Atoll

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has lifted its indefinite suspension of the magistrate of Villingili Court in Gaaf Alif Atoll, almost four years since his suspension over alleged corruption.

According to local media, Magistrate Hassan Najeeb was indefinitely suspended in November 2009 after he was prosecuted for embezzlement of state funds.

Najeeb had allegedly approved payments for a set of bills submitted by three people for ferry trips between Villingili Island and Dhevvadhoo Island, which later turned out to be fake.

The JSC claimed on Sunday that the suspension was lifted after the High Court upheld the not-guilty verdict issued by the Criminal Court. It also claimed that the Prosecutor General had decided not to appeal the High Court decision in the Supreme Court.

Suspended judges

Currently, Chief Judge of the High Court Ahmed Shareef and Criminal Court Judge Abdul Baari Yusuf are serving indefinite suspensions issued by the state’s judicial watchdog.

Chief Judge Shareef was indefinitely suspended over a complaint filed against him a year ago. The suspension coincided with the Chief Judge’s decision to temporarily suspend the appeal case of former President Mohamed Nasheed – who is currently campaigning for re-election as the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s presidential candidate.

JSC Chair and Supreme Court Justice Adam Mohamed in a press conference held to announce that decision claimed the suspension was a “precautionary” measure while investigation of the complaint was proceeding.

“There are no legal grounds to stop looking into a complaint submitted [to the commission] or halt proceedings,” he said at the time.

The Chief Judge’s legal team subsequently challenged the JSC’s decision in the Civil Court, claiming that the decision contrasted with existing laws and had undermined the independence that a judge required in executing his legal duties.

Chief Judge Shareef’s lawyer Husnu Al Suood – who is currently the President of Maldives Bar Association and a former Attorney General – also pleaded the court to issue an injunction halting his suspension.

The Civil Court gave the injunction on July 11, ordering the JSC not to take any action against the suspended Chief Judge until it decided on the legality of his suspension.

Criminal Court Judge Abdul Baari Yusuf was meanwhile suspended by the JSC in February following a case filed by a female lawyer from the Prosecutor General’s (PG) office, who alleged Baari Yoosuf had sexually assaulted her.

More recently, the JSC decided not to suspend Supreme Court Justice Ali Hameed, who is currently under both police and JSC investigation following the circulation of sex videos apparently depicting the judge fornicating with unidentified foreign women.

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

Then JSC members including Gasim Ibrahim – the presidential candidate of the Jumhoree Party (JP) – and Attorney General Azima Shukoor raised doubts over the accuracy of the claims, in which Gasim contended that the sex-tape was “fake” while Shukoor maintained the case “needed more details”.

Following the inconsistencies within the JSC, commission member Shuaib Abdul Rahmaan alleged the JSC was discriminating between lower court judges and higher court judges and blasted the commission’s lack of consistency.

The country’s judiciary is currently being subjected to questions over its lack of impartiality and failure to deliver justice. A substantial amount of criticism is being levied against the JSC, which is mandated to oversee the functioning of the judiciary.

Several international experts and organisations including the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) have expressed concern over the state of the judiciary and the JSC.

In February 2011, the ICJ claimed that the Maldives legal system is failing to serve its citizens despite many “positive developments” that have been made in an effort to de-politicise the courts, with many judges found to be lacking qualifications and independence.

Former director of the ICJ’s Asia Pacific operation’s Roger Normand at the time said he did not believe that the Maldives had an “independent judiciary capable of resolving problems”.

A similar report by Professor Paul H Robinson observed that “persons with little or no legal training can hardly be expected to know how to conduct a fair and effective trial.”

“Serious efforts must be made to provide substantial training to current judges in order to insure that all have the background they need in both law and Sharia. Perhaps more importantly, no judge should be hired who does not already have the needed training,” he wrote.

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Police investigating attempted assault of MV Youth editor over PPM fan page on Facebook

Police have confirmed they are investigating the alleged attempted assault of the editor of Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM)-aligned news website, MV Youth.

Musharraf Hassan alleged he had received “death threats” from PPM Council Member Zahid Rameez for refusing to make him an administrator of a PPM fan page on Facebook.

Musharraf told Minivan News that Rameez and another individual came into the studio of Channel 13 – a local broadcaster also affiliated with the PPM – and demanded he give them control of the Facebook page that promoted PPM’s campaign and its presidential candidate, Abdulla Yameen.

Musharraf alleged the second individual was a person the police had previously identified as a “dangerous person” and a well known local gang member.

Minivan News understands that the Facebook page being contested is the ‘Progressive Party of Maldives’ page founded in September 2011, which at time of press had 6,113 people following it.

“It is a page that we formed as supporters of PPM. It was formed even before Mv Youth came into existence. The page has no official connection to PPM, but Rameez wanted the control of it. Even before the incident, they threatened me to give up the control before 8:00pm last night or I would be sliced into pieces,” he alleged.

Musharraf said he had conceded to the threats and given up control of the page. However, the case was shortly after reported to police. Rameez and the other individual had left the scene by the time the police arrived.

“Following the incident, there have been attempts made to defame Mv Youth in public. Rameez is spreading the word that we were demanding money for the page. But I can assure you, we demanded nothing from them, although they owe us money regarding other work we had done,” Musharraf told Minivan News.

Mv Youth meanwhile issued a statement calling on the authorities and the PPM to take action against the PPM council member.

“Mv Youth will not ground its operation based on threats it receives from a politician or any political party. We will remain determined in bringing truth to the public,” read the statement.

The alleged PPM Council Member Zahid Rameez was appointed to the party’s council as part of three appointees of Party President and former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, after he  unsuccessfully contested the position of the party’s Youth League President, losing to current Deputy Minister of Transport Ibrahim Nazim.

A police media official confirmed to Minivan News that they were currently investigating a case of “attempted assault” concerning the Editor of Mv Youth.

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Low voter registration by Maldivians abroad could mean no voting in London, New Delhi and Singapore

Not sure where you are registered to vote? Check here online

The Elections Commission has warned it may not be able to place ballot boxes in London, Singapore and New Delhi for the upcoming presidential elections September 7, as current figures from the commission suggest that the number of registered voters is trailing below the required minimum 100 registered voters.

Speaking to Minivan News on Thursday, Vice President of the Elections Commission Ahmed Fayaz said that with the deadline for voter registration expiring on August 7, the current rate of registration could mean Maldivians residing in London, New Delhi and Singapore may not be able to cast their vote in the elections.

“However, we can only say that for sure after the deadline expires,” he said.

Fayaz said other regions outside the country where large number of Maldivians currently reside are doing well in terms of registration. So far, the commission confirmed that it will be able to place ballot boxes in Trivandrum, Colombo and Malaysia.

According to Fayaz, 652 Maldivians have registered to vote in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 225 have registered to vote in Trivandrum, India and 302 people have registered to vote in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He also said the commission is currently working to get the figures from Singapore, London and Delhi.

Despite fears expatriate Maldivians would be unable to vote, the Chair of Elections Commission Fuwad Thowfeek – who is currently on the island of Fuahmulah conducting voter education programs – appeared confident that the commission could still place ballot boxes in the affected regions as past experience suggested Maldivians tend to register “at the last minute”.

“Even during the last elections, people registered to vote in the last week of registration. This is the last week. So I believe people will register and we will be able to place ballot boxes in all regions,” Thowfeek said.

Fuwad said the Elections Commission had been collaborating with respective Maldivian High Commissions in the regions to register voters for the upcoming elections.

“We have placed a focal point for the Elections Commission in all the High Commissions including Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, India and UK. This has been done on the recommendations of the High Commissions as well,” he explained.

Thowfeek said that High Commissions will help register votes during normal working hours of the respective countries, according to a  procedure is similar to that carried out in the Maldives.

“The process is similar to [registration in] Male. A person who is, say for example, living in Ahmedabad in India can register to vote at Trivandrum through a friend. All he would need to do is to send a copy of his national ID card via fax or email. Likewise, a person living abroad can even register to vote in Male, by doing the same process. It is very similar to the procedure going on in Male,” he explained.

As in the Maldives, Thowfeek also said that political parties can assist in the registration of voters abroad.

“They will have to submit the registration forms to our focal points in the respective High Commissions. Registration can then be done from the High Commissions,” he said.

The Elections Commission has meanwhile established an online mechanism through its website for people to check the ballot box where they are registered to vote.

By entering a national ID card number, the website will display the name of the voter, the permanent address of the voter and the ballot box and the location where the voter is eligible to vote.

For Maldivians residing abroad, details can also be checked at focal points established in the High Commissions, Thowfeek added.

The Elections Commission have previously announced that the Presidential Elections are scheduled to take place on September 7. If no candidate attains the required 50 percent plus one vote to secure a first round election victory a run-off election is to take place 20 days after the first election.

The commission has announced that four candidates will be competing in the elections.

The candidates are leader of the Jumhoree Party (JP) Gasim Ibrahim (running mate Dr Hassan Saeed), Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) candidate former President Mohamed Nasheed (running mate Dr Musthafa Luthfy), incumbent President and independent candidate Dr Mohamed Waheed (running mate DRP leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali) and Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) candidate Abdulla Yameen (running mate Dr Mohamed Jameel.

Check the voter registry and registered place of voting

Download registration form (Dhivehi)

In the Maldives? Check your details via SMS

To check where/if you are registered to vote, SMS 1414 ‘VIS(space)(National ID#)’

To check political party registration, SMS 1414 ‘PPR(space)(National ID#)’

Elections Commission hotline: 1414

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CNI statements made confidential “to protect evidence”: President’s Office

The President’s Office has declared that statements made to the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) concerning the legality of President Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s controversial ascension to power have been made confidential in order to protect those who testified to the commission.

Media Secretary of Presidents Office Masood Imad told local newspaper Haveeru that the CNI had agreed to protect those who gave evidence to the commission.

According to the government, President Waheed in March issued a presidential decree declared that all materials relating to the CNI would be declared a national secret and kept from the public.

“If the statements [given to the CNI] get published in public, [those who gave evidence to the commission] may face dangers and may be threatened. It is with the recommendation of the CNI panel as well that the statements had been made confidential,” claimed Masood.

Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim told the newspaper that according to the presidential decree, the documents will be kept confidential and safely stored for a period of 25 years.

The defence minister said that the decision was made in adherence to Sections 22(b) and 22(c) of the Right to Information Regulation.

According to Section 22(b) exceptions to Right to Information include information which if released could prompt a lawsuit against the government for failing to ensure confidentiality, while Section 22(c) states that exception can also be made to withhold release of information if it would lead to difficulty for the government in obtaining similar information in the future.

According to Nazim, the president had given the defense ministry the responsibility on making the information confidential and keeping the assorted documents, audio, videos and photographs in the ministry’s custody.

“It hasn’t come to our hands as of yet. But we are working on bringing into our custody,” Nazim said.

Change in management

In late January 2012, a 22 day continuous anti-government protests led by then opposition figures and religious scholars following the controversial detention of Chief Judge of Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed escalated into a mutiny by certain elements within the police and the military.

By midday of February 7, 2012, then-President Nasheed had exhausted all his options to establish a chain of command within the ranks of police and military, and was left trapped inside the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) barracks surrounded by rebelling police and military forces along with an angry mob of anti-Nasheed demonstrators which had been armed by the security services.

The current Defense Minister Nazim – who was a civilian at the time – entered the barracks and gave an ultimatum to Nasheed, “resign or face the dire repercussions”, to which Nasheed conceded and resigned.

Then vice President Waheed subsequently ascended to power.

The following day, Nasheed and the MDP along with thousands of supporters took to the street in protest of the new regime change, but were met with harsh crackdown by what the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) later described as an “emotionally charged” police and military.

The national inquiry

In June 2012, following strong local and international pressure – primarily from the Commonwealth – President Waheed was forced to reformulate the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) to include representatives from the MDP and international community. The national inquiry commission included three members handpicked by Waheed, a Singaporean judge and a representative of former President Nasheed.

The commission interviewed several individuals as well as reviewed photographs, videos and other documents relating to the transfer of power which Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) had alleged was a “bloodless coup d’état” that forced the first democratically elected president out of office.

Prior to the release of the commission’s findings, Nasheed’s nominee to the commission Ahmed ‘Gahaa’ Saeed resigned in protest from the commission contending that vital information concerning the power transfer was deliberately disregarded in order to achieve a certain outcome.

“I realised it was all going wrong,” Saeed said at a press conference held after his resignation.

In a letter he wrote to the commission’s co-chairs, Saeed cited concerns including the withholding of evidence, non-cooperation from crucial witnesses, non-examination of witnesses, witnesses being intimidated or obstructed, testimonies and evidence that was not reviewed, and organisation by the CNI secretariat.

The CNI went onto announce its finding in which it claimed there was neither a coup as alleged by the former ruling party MDP nor was there any substantial grounds to question the legitimacy of President Waheed’s ascension to power – much to the dismay of former President Nasheed and the MDP.

“In sum, the Commission concludes that there was no illegal coercion or intimidation nor any coup d’état. The Commission has received no evidence supporting or to substantiate these allegations. This disposes the main mandate of the Commission,” read the report. The report and the commission’s website were subsequently taken off-line.

CNI findings flawed

A subsequent legal analysis of the commission’s report on the request of the now opposition MDP by a team of high-profile Sri Lankan legal professionals – including the country’s former Attorney General – accused the commission of exceeding its mandate, selectively gathering and acting upon evidence, and failing to adequately address the fundamental issue with which it was charged: determining whether the former President resigned under duress.

“[The CNI] appears to have abdicated its duty to objectively and reasonably bring its collective mind to bear on whether or not there was duress involved in the purported resignation of President Nasheed,” concluded the detailed report.

The authors included two Sri Lankan Supreme Court attorneys – Anita Perera and Senany Dayaratne – and the former Sri Lankan Attorney General Shibly Aziz.

“The [CNI] Report offends the fundamental tenets of natural justice, transparency and good governance, including the right to see adverse material, which undermines the salutary tenets of the Rule of Law,” it claimed.

“Even by the yardstick of ‘coercion’ or illegal coercion which the [CNI] has incorporated for reasons one cannot fathom – given the clear mandate – ex facie the events accepted by the “[CNI] and without anything more, does strongly and convincingly establish the ‘coercion’ or ‘illegal coercion’, the yardstick chosen by the [CNI],” the report noted, in support for the claim of an illegitimate ousting of a legitimate head of state.

Parliamentary scrutiny

A review of the CNI report by Parliament’s Executive Oversight Committee – the parliamentary select-committee mandated with overseeing the government and its agencies – led to the announcement by the committee’s chair that the report was “flawed”.

The Committee Chair MP Ali Waheed told local media that many interviewed by the committee claimed it lacked “key information they had given to [the CNI panel]”.

“Some have even claimed their information was wrongly presented,” he said, while others who attended the committee [meeting] “have told us that key information they gave was missing from the CNI report, and said they did not accept its findings”.

Leaked statements

Dozens of statements given to the CNI were leaked to local media. Among the statements included those given by former President Nasheed and statements from senior officials from the military and police.

In one of the leaked statements, MNDF Staff Sergeant Shafraz Naeem – who was commanding ‘Bravo’, one of the Bandara Koshi Battalion riot squads that confronted the mutinying police – told the CNI that he had “lost faith in the institution” after the events.

“I took an oath to protect the country and the president; not to beat civilians or to mutiny. I did not take an oath to follow a mutinous general. I was never a big fan of Nasheed, but it did not matter to me who the President was that day. I would have done the same for any president,” read his statement.

“In my view this was a coup. Why? I could see it from the way they handled everything, their attitude, how cool and calm all the officers were. I could tell from how cool General Shiyam was inside the MNDF. They did nothing. This is not how a uniformed officer should behave,” he said.

Former President Nasheed’s leaked statement read – “In essence, my statement is very small. I was forced to resign. I resigned under duress. I was threatened. If I did not resign within a stipulated period it would endanger mine and my family’s life. I understood they were going to harm a number of other citizens, party members. They were going to literally sack the town. I felt that I had no other option, other than to resign.”

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SAARC Audit report failed to account for grant aid: MDP

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has slammed an audit report on the expenses of the 2011 SAARC Summit released recently by the Auditor General, alleging the report was factually inaccurate and had based its findings on erroneous information.

The report (Dhivehi) –  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) – revealed several financial discrepancies by then MDP-led government including an overspend of more than MVR 430 million (US$27.9 million) on the event’s allocated budget.

The report claimed that 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.

Others inconsistencies included payment of MVR 61.8 million (US$4 million) more the amount agreed for the construction of the Equatorial Convention Centre built for the summit, financial losses incurred by the government, violations of Public Finance Act and Public Finance Regulation and wasteful spending.

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

Former President Mohamed Nasheed previously dismissed the political bickering by his opponents regarding the findings, contending that his government had not embezzled state funds but admitting it was possible money had been spent contrary to the Public Finance Act.

“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 at the time.

In a press conference held last Monday evening, MDP government’s Housing Minister Mohamed Aslam slammed the Auditor General over the findings, claiming he had been “negligent” and “irresponsible” in compiling the report.

He said that a state institution releasing such reports ahead of the presidential elections implicating a specific political group was “highly concerning”.

However despite the claims, Auditor General Niyaz Ibrahim has disputed the claim that the timing of the audit report before the election was politically motivated, stating that the information contained in such reports was necessary for people to make informed decisions.

“Some fundamental elements have been disregarded as false information in the report. Some have even been labelled as unlawful [spending]. Other expenses have been presented in a very misleading manner. We have highlighted these issues to the Auditor General in a meeting held today,” Aslam said.

Responding to the Auditor General’s claim that the former government had overspent more than MVR 430 million (US$27.9 million), Aslam said the Indian government had provided grant aid of MVR 267 million (US$17.3 million), the South Korean government had given up to MVR 3 million (US$194,552.53) in grant aid, while an additional MVR 2 million (US$129,701.69) was given from a trust fund.

According to the former Minister, when the grant aid was accounted for the deficit stood at MVR 167 million (US$10.83 million), which had been settled by government’s contingency budget.

“The Auditor General is doing the math and arithmetic without taking these key figures into account. You simply can’t count apples and oranges and decide the total sum of both in apples. We see his findings something similar to counting apples in this manner,” Aslam said.

He also claimed that MVR 64 million (US$4.15 million) spent on building roads in both Addu City and Fuvahmulah was directed to improve the capacity of Southern Utilities Company Limited (SUL) because other companies who proposed to construct the road, including the government’s Maldives Transport and Construction Company (MTCC), were too expensive.

“The Auditor General claimed the government incurred financial losses by giving the project to SUL, and that the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) was actively involved in the construction work. And that government had paid SUL for the voluntary work carried out by the military personnel. What we are highlighting here is that if mathematically calculated, the amount spent on the project did not result in financial losses to the government,” Aslam said.

He acknowledged that MNDF officers “had a role” in constructing of the roads, but said that since Nasheed’s ousting in 2012 the work was not being carried out, and therefore there was nothing to pay.

He also questioned as to how the Auditor General came to the conclusion that the MNDF had contributed to 60 percent of the total work carried out to hold the SAARC Summit, stating that there was no justification given for the figure.

MDP MP and Lawyer Ahmed Hamza said he believed a possible reason for the report’s alleged inaccuracy was that the government had withheld certain financial records from the Auditor General, which would otherwise have substantiated the MDP’s account.

Auditor General responds

Responding to the allegations by the MDP, Auditor General Niyaz Ibrahim told local media that the party’s allegations did not carry any weight and that it was “not the fault of the Auditor General if the government did not share certain documents with the auditors”.

“The allegations levelled against the Auditor General’s office do not carry any weight. Our reports are based on information received from government agencies and authorities. Likewise, the report on SAARC summit was compiled in a similar manner,” Niyaz said.

“The [MDP] is alleging that the current government was witholding information from us. We can’t do anything about that. We base our reports based on the  information we receive.”

Niyaz also said that if the MDP were having doubts over the accuracy of the reports – due to government’s failure to share of information – the matter should be raised with the relevant parliamentary oversight committees.

The reason behind allegations made against the audit reports by politicians were, Niyaz said, due to the lack of knowledge regarding how government finances were handled. He also expressed concern over attempts made by politicians to mislead the public.

The Auditor General also claimed that he had not released the reports with the intention to “bombard” a certain political camp, and contested that the mandate of his office was not to attack politicians.

“We execute our responsibilities and try to complete our work as soon as possible to hold governments accountable,” Niyaz said.

“Our job is to hold the government accountable. To ensure that the government strictly follows the law and due procedure in handling the finances of the state. I believe the parliament has a central role in enforcing the recommendations made in the audit reports. We have released almost 200 audit reports. But parliament has only decided to act on just two,” he noted.

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Former PPM Vice President backs resort tycoon Gasim Ibrahim for president

Former Vice President of the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) Umar Naseer has announced he will be backing resort tycoon and presidential candidate of Jumhoree Party (JP) Gasim Ibrahim in the upcoming presidential election scheduled for September 7.

Umar Naseer joins the Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) and the religious conservative Adhaalath Party in coalition with the JP, dubbed the ‘Jumhoree Alliance’.

Leader of the DQP Dr Hassan Saeed was subsequently appointed as the running mate of the coalition’s presidential candidate, JP leader Gasim Ibrahim.

Naseer competed and lost against PPM’s Presidential Candidate Yameen Abdul Gayoom in the party’s presidential primary, alleging the election was rigged in favour of Yameen. He told local media on Monday that Gasim was the only candidate among the four presidential candidates whose “sincerity and integrity has not been questioned by the public”.

“I looked for a candidate who can protect our religion, who can defend our national identity, who can tackle growing corruption in the country and who will not defy the people and embezzle state funds. My team of supporters believe in sincerity. We have till to this day spoken of a white rope,” said Umar Naseer.

Naseer also criticised his former party, claiming that the PPM was not running according to the beliefs of the Maldives’ former autocratic ruler of 30 years, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.  He further said that although his team supported the beliefs and values of Gayoom, “Yameen is not Gayoom” but rather “a disgrace” to the former President.

“Therefore we simply cannot support Yameen even though he is still PPM’s presidential candidate,” Naseer claimed.

While campaigning for the PPM’s presidential ticket, Naseer alleged Yameen was involved in drug trafficking and commissioning gangs to cut down political opponents. Yameen dismissed the allegations.

Naseer lost out to Yameen in the PPM primaries gaining just 7,450 votes – 5,646 fewer than his rival. Then party’s Parliamentary Group Leader Yameen won 13,096 votes – 63 percent of the total vote.

Following the defeat, Naseer claimed he had to battle the “entire machine” of the party during the primary, claiming that his opponent had every advantage in the race.

“Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s children were with Yameen, the largest gangsters in the country were with Yameen, all the drug cartels in the country were with Yameen, the most corrupted people were with Yameen, the whole elections committee was with Yameen and a large chunk of PPM’s parliament members gathered around Yameen,” he told the press at the time.

Shortly after the end of the polls, Naseer was dismissed from the PPM over the allegations made against his opponent during the primaries.

A case against Naseer was heard by the PPM’s internal disciplinary council over the nature of possible action taken against him after he refused to apologise to Yameen or defend himself at the subsequent disciplinary hearing.

Naseer contested in the 2008 presidential elections on behalf of Islamic Democratic Party (IDP) – a facing extinction due to a shortage of members as required by the newly passed Political Parties Act.

Naseer faced a humiliating defeat in the polls, finishing the race in second last position with 2,472 votes – just 1.39 percent of the total votes. Since then, he has been very close to Maumoon Abdul Gayoom despite heavily criticising him during the 2008 campaign.

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