Category: Crime

Russia slams Maldives after US detain Russian at Malé international airport

The Russian Foreign Ministry has described the actions of Maldivian authorities as “outraging” after the US secret service apprehended Russian citizen Roman Seleznyov at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport on Saturday (July 5).

The US Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that Seleznyov was arrested after having been indicted for hacking into point of sale systems at retailers throughout the United States between October 2009 and February 2011.

As well as accusing the US of kidnapping Seleznyov – the son of Russian MP Valery Seleznyov, Russian diplomats have been quoted as condemning the role of the Maldives.

“The stance of Maldives’ authorities cannot be but outraging, since despite the existing international legislation norms they allowed another country’s special service to kidnap a Russian citizen and take him out of the country,” said the Russian Foreign Ministry.

“We demand that the Maldives’ government provides necessary explanations,” officials told Russian news agency ITAR-TASS.

Russian diplomats also said that the US had confirmed Seleznyov had been put on a private jet by US officials and taken to the US Pacific Ocean territory of Guam.

Seleznyov’s father told ITAR-TASS today that any charges should have been brought through the Maldives’ courts.

“At present, it is the same for me whether Roman Seleznyov is guilty or not. But if American authorities had real evidence of his implication in the crime, they should have brought some charges through the Maldives’ court,” said the MP.

“No one had the right to take him anywhere without the sanction issued by the Maldives’ court. And here many questions to law enforcement agencies of the Maldives arise,” Valery Seleznyov was quoted as saying.

The US government has described the detainee as “one of the world’s most prolific traffickers of stolen information”, noting that the arrest “reflects the hard work by the U.S. Secret Service and our interagency and international partners”

The statement from the Department of Homeland Security did not reveal details of Seleznyov’s arrest, with no mention made of the Maldives.

“This important arrest sends a clear message:  despite the increasingly borderless nature of transitional organized crime, the long arm of justice – and this Department – will continue to disrupt and dismantle sophisticated criminal organizations,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson.

Speaking during a celebration to mark US independence day earlier this week, Maldives Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon pledged continued assistance to the US in suppressing terrorism, organised crimes, drug trafficking, and other security issues.

Dunya also thanked the US for previous assistance in these areas.

The US granted Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation System – or PISCES – came into use in the Maldives last year after a deal with Malaysian IT firm Nexbis was terminated.

The system – cited by local media as flagging the arrival of Seleznyov in the country – was criticised by the outgoing Malaysian firm as being no more than a “terrorist tracking system”.

Minivan News was unable to obtain comment from immigration or police officials at the time of publication.

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Crimes reported in first half of 2014 drop by six percent

The number of crimes reported to the Maldives Police Services in first half of 2014 has dropped by nearly six percent compared to the previous year, police statistics have revealed.

The total number of crimes reported within the first six months of 2013 was 7746, while this year it has come down to 7292 cases.

While there were reductions in all major categories of crimes reported, the most significant drops were seen in counterfeit and forgery case, and domestic violence.

Counterfeit and forgery cases – the least reported category of crime – dropped by nearly 38 percent, from 69 cases in 2013 to 43 in 2014.

The number of domestic violence cases lodged with police fell from 120 in 2013 to just 94 cases in 2014 – a fall of nearly 22 percent.

The number of domestic violence cases lodged at the police annually had been increasing gradually since 2010.

Local women’s NGO Hope For Women last year said the anti-domestic violence legislation enacted in 2012 did very little to improve the situation for victims of such crimes.

The organisation said that while the police were prepared for its implementation, but lack of mechanisms still left the force handicapped.

According to the police statistics, reported sexual offenses cases also dropped from 341 to 316 within the first six months of this year.

Theft – the most reported crime in both years – saw the second greatest reduction, with 3113 cases in 2013 to 2893 cases. Meanwhile, robbery cases increased by more than nine percent.

Drugs, the second most reported crime, dropped by approximately two percent – from 1974 in 2013 to 1929 this year. Assault cases were came down from 659 to 602 cases, while road traffic cases dropped from 1188 to 1156.

Commissioner of Police Hussain Waheed has said that reduced number of cases in the first six months was the result of the force’s special efforts to reduce crime with targeted objectives included in the MPS strategic plan and the annual business plan.

A survey published by ‘Transparency Maldives‘ earlier this year revealed a lack of public confidence in state institutions – including the police.

In the survey conducted among 1000 randomly selected individuals, 32 percent stated they had “no confidence at all” in the police, while the same number of individuals said they had a ‘great deal of confidence’ in them.

A UNDP sponsored human rights survey published by the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives in 2013 also revealed dissatisfaction with police services.

Approximately 32 percent of respondents were not satisfied with the police services. When asked what it was they were dissatisfied with, they mentioned the failure to deal with crimes, inability to contact in times of need, bias, torture and corruption.

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Criminal Court denies ordering deportation of Pakistanis arrested in 24kg drug haul

The Criminal Court has denied ordering the deportation of two Pakistani nationals arrested in connection with the smuggling of 24kg of heroin in March.

Citing police, local media reported this week that the court had ordered the deportation of the pair.

The Criminal Court however refuted the claims in a press statement released yesterday (July 2), noting that ordering the deportation of foreign nationals was outside the court’s jurisdiction.

Media reports to the contrary were “based on false information,” the court said.

The statement explained that a court order extending the remand detention of the Pakistani suspects to 15 days had instructed the police to transfer the pair to the the custody of the Department of Immigration.

Police had stated at the remand hearing that the Prosecutor General’s Office had decided to deport the suspects, the statement noted.

The media reports referred to by the Criminal Court were based on a news item published on the police website on Tuesday (July 1).

Out of 18 suspects arrested in the case, police explained that 15 were held in pre-trial detention, including three Bangladeshis, four Maldivians, and eight Pakistanis.

Six of the Pakistani nationals had since been released while the Criminal Court ordered the release of two Bangladeshis on June 24.

On the same day, one of the Maldivian suspects was transferred to house arrest due to poor health. The suspect had earlier suffered burns to 45 percent of his body in a fire accident, police noted.

“The detention period of a Maldivian involved in the case was extended to seven days today [Tuesday]. Additionally, the detention period of three Maldivians and a Bangladeshi will be up on July 4,” the police news item read.

“The court has asked for the two Pakistanis involved in the case to be deported.”

Minivan News was awaiting a response from the police media official at the time of press. The official told newspaper Haveeru yesterday that police were looking into the matter.

Record haul

Four Maldivians, three Bangladeshis, and 11 Pakistanis were taken into custody on March 10 with 24kg of heroin, which police said was “the largest amount of drugs seized in a police operation conducted in the Maldives so far.”

The drugs were transported in a vessel named ‘Hormooz’ registered in Iran, Superintendent Mohamed Rasheed, head of the Drug Enforcement Department (DED), revealed at a press briefing on March 12.

The 11 Pakistani nationals were the crew and captain of the Iranian boat. Local media reported in April that the Iranian vessel was allowed to leave the country while six crew members were also released.

The drugs were allegedly collected by the four Maldivians and three Bangladeshis 30 nautical miles off the coast of Alif Alif Mathiveri, Rasheed had explained, after which it was concealed under fibre boards in a dinghy.

Two of the suspects were seized by police after arriving on the dinghy in Hulhumale’ while their dhoni waited in the harbour.

The Iranian vessel was meanwhile captured at sea with coastguard assistance between Alif Alif and Baa atolls, Rasheed said.

Asked by reporters whether a police sergeant and a Maldivian man – Abdulla Shaffath – arrested in connection with the Artur brothers’ case last year were among the 18 suspects, Rasheed had said he could not disclose details as it could hamper the investigation.

Rasheed, however, confirmed that a police officer had been arrested in connection with the drug haul while two of the Maldivian suspects had prior records for drug-related offences.

While the street value of the drugs was estimated to be MVR36 million (US$2.2 million), Superintendent Rasheed noted that the drugs would likely be laced with “other powders” to increase its volume “two or threefold” before being sold.

The additional volume could potentially raise its street value to almost MVR100 million (US$6.5 million), he said.

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Suspected Facebook harasser hands himself in after manhunt

A man alleged to have posted nude pictures of women on his Facebook profile has handed himself to the police after a manhunt was declared.

Mohamed Ibrahim, 25 years, of Haa Dhaal atoll Kulhudhuffushi Island is also accused of posting profane comments and defaming government offices on his Facebook profile.

The police publicized Ibrahim’s details after he refused to cooperate with an investigation. When the police called him on the telephone, Ibrahim refused to give his current address.

The police then sought an arrest warrant from the Kulhudhuffushi Magistrate Court and declared a manhunt.

Ibrahim handed himself to the police last night.

The police declined to reveal details of how many women were affected and which government bodies had been defamed.

“We take these type of cases very seriously,” a police media official told Minivan News.

Speaking to Minivan News on Wednesday, the police said they lacked resources in tracking those behind cyber harassment, but said they would take action if there were any credible evidence of the identities of those involved.

In 2011, the police arrested 14 individuals including a minor for alleged involvement in blackmailing people after acquiring nude pictures and videos of them through Facebook.

Police discovered “hundreds of nude pictures and videos of Maldivians” in the laptops and external hard drives of those arrested.

“While some of the pictures were taken of people while drunk, other pictures were taken without the consent of the persons,” the police said.

In 2012, the Maldives Police Services set up a cyber crime department, but have called for a law to facilitate investigations of cyber crimes.

Cyber harassment and threats of violence has become common in the Maldives. Individuals who have received cyber threats of violence have been physically attacked.

The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives has urged the public to report online harassment or threats of violence.

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Man sentenced to 14 years in jail for molesting a 16 year old boy

The Criminal Court has sentenced a man to 14 years in jail for molesting a 16-year-old boy.

Ahmed Ibrahim, 38, of Lhaviyani Atoll Naifaru Island, was caught in a Malé City guesthouse with the boy in September 2012.

The Maldives Police Services say Ibrahim has a previous record of homosexuality and child abuse.

In 2002, Ibrahim was sentenced to nine months banishment and 15 lashes in public for homosexuality, the police said. While serving his sentence on Alif Alif Atoll Thoddoo Island, Ibrahim was caught sexually abusing another 16-year-old boy.

In 2009, Ibrahim was again accused of molesting two male minors in Malé, police said.

Reports of child abuse, especially that of young boys, have dramatically increased over the past few years.

According to police statistics, 220 sexual offenses cases, a majority of which involves child abuse, have been reported this year. In 2013, 573 cases were reported.

Although the rise in reported cases may represent a greater willingness to report child abuse, the Human Rights Commission Commission has suggested child abuse incidents are on the rise this year and has urged parents to be more alert.

“I believe it is not merely an increase in reporting, I think it is becoming more common. During our trips to twenty two islands around the country for our ongoing National Inquiry on Access to Education for Children with Disabilities, almost in all islands there were cases of physical, mental and sexual abuse of children,” HRCM Vice President Ahmed Tholal told Minivan News in April.

State Minister for Health Dr Aishath Ramila told local media in April that the ministry has failed to compile a legally mandated Sex Offenders Registry due to lack of access to criminal records.

“Even if we look at other countries, an Offenders Registry is always with the Police of the country. This is because all the criminal records of the offenders are within the police database. Gender ministry will not have their criminal records,” Ramila said.

“Will the register be maintained by us or the police? I think this is the first decision that we need to make”, she added.

She also said the Health Ministry does not have the resources to compile and maintain the registry.

A 51-year-old Indian national was arrested for sexually abusing an 11-year-old boy in Faafu Atoll Feeali Island in April.

In January, the Ungoofaaru Magistrate Court in Raa Atoll sentenced a 51-year-old man to 10 years for sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy multiple times.

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Police launch special operation in response to spike in theft and robbery

The Maldives Police Service (MPS) launched a special operation in the capital Malé last night in response to a spike in cases of theft and robbery in recent weeks.

At a press conference this morning, Chief Superintendent Ali Shujau explained that the number of cases reported in the past two weeks had risen sharply compared to the previous five months.

Shujau, head of the central operations command, said that burglars had taken advantage of police officers being engaged in providing security during the recently concluded AFC Challenge Cup hosted by the Maldives.

Large amounts of cash and expensive items have been stolen from apartments in the capital, he added.

Police also expected a spike in theft and robbery during the upcoming World Cup and the fasting month of Ramadan, Shujau noted, advising the public to take precautionary measures.

Police officers will conduct targeted searches of areas in Malé and search vehicles as well as suspicious individuals after midnight as part of the special operation.

Vehicle checkpoints will be set up across the capital. As apartments on the first and second floors of large buildings were being targeted, police patrols will focus on preventing theft from such residences.

The special operation is being conducted jointly by the central operations command, investigation departments, forensic directorate, traffic police, and the Specialist Operations (SO) command.

The MPS has also advised the public to hide valuables such as phones, jewellery, and wristwatches and to properly lock doors at night. Businesses were advised against keeping large amounts of cash in shops or offices.

According to statistics from the MPS, 2,484 cases of theft and 291 cases of robbery have been reported so far this year.

A 46 percent spike in cases of theft was recorded in January this year compared to the same period in 2013.

Reported instances of theft had increased dramatically in 2012 compared to the previous year. While 4,734 cases of theft were reported in 2011, the number rose to 6,572 in 2012, which represented a 38 percent annual increase.

The figure climbed to 6,681 in 2013.

Robbery and theft currently account for roughly 50 percent of crimes reported to police.

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Supreme Court upholds reinstatement of police inspector dismissed after rape allegations

The Supreme Court has today upheld the High Court ruling to reinstate Chief Inspector Hussain Risheef Thoha who had been dismissed after being accused of raping a woman inside a police car.

The ruling stated that, although the victim had alleged that a group of police officers attacked her, she did not state that Risheef participated in the rape.

Commenting on today’s ruling today, Maldivian Democratic Party MP and lawyer Imthiyaz ‘Inthi’ Fahmy expressed concern the court would ask for the reinstatement of an officer after its disciplinary board had decided that there was enough evidence to link him with a rape case.

”These are not just ordinary citizens, these are senior police officers accused of a serious crime,” Inthi said. ”This is very dangerous and serious.”

Risheef had called the officers who were inside the car, said the Supreme Court today, stating that this did not prove he had participated in the attack.

The ruling noted that there was no record of a phone call in which Risheed instructed officers to rape the victim.

The court ruling stated that Risheed had gone to the area where the girl had been left after the incident, and had given her a t-shirt to cover herself up.

Again, this does not prove that Risheef had participated in the act, said the court, noting that helping a person in that situation to cover up is how it should be done in Islamic principles.

The court also criticised the police disciplinary board for taking action against Risheef based on the allegations, saying that this was against Islamic principles and international best practice.

The case

In August 2011, a woman filed a case at police headquarters alleging she was sexually abused by a group of police officers, including Risheef.

Thoha later appealed his dismissal by the police disciplinary board at the Civil Court, which ruled that the decision had been lawful and that there was enough evidence to dismiss Risheef from duty.

The Civil Court noted at the time that Risheef’s call records showed he had contacted the other accused officers several times, and in turn had been contacted by them.

The ruling also said that the girl was thrown out of the car naked near the chief inspector’s house in Maafannu, and that Thoha had admitted to being in the area a few minutes later.

In August 2012, the High Court overruled the decision made by the Civil Court and ordered that police reinstate Risheef at the rank of chief inspector.

In September 2012, the High Court upheld a Civil Court ruling to reinstate Police Lance Corporal Ali Nasheed to active duty, who had been dismissed in relation to the same incident.

Recently, police said that they would only accept dismissed officers in a situation where the Supreme Court ordered the reinstatement of their position in the police.

Lawyer Inthi said that such issues makes the people lose confidence with the police force.

”This shows that issues like this are not taken seriously,” he said. ”The disciplinary board is a board that has the authority to dismiss police officers if they find that there was enough evidence to believe that a police officer is guilty of a crime.”

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Criminal Court disregarded crucial evidence to set top drug dealer free, reveals High Court ruling

The Criminal Court set a drug kingpin free after claiming that a hearing during which crucial evidence was presented never took place, a High Court ruling on May 29 has revealed.

The High Court overturned the lower court’s ruling and sentenced Hassan Yoosuf of Laamu atoll Gan Island to life in jail for trafficking 46.6 grams of cannabis products.

The Criminal Court said the state had not presented the rubber packet alleged to contain cannabis as physical evidence to the court. But both state prosecutors and Yoosuf testified at the High Court that the police brought the packet to the court on August 22, 2010.

However, the Criminal Court said it has no record of the hearing having taken place.

The High Court’s ruling also highlighted additional intentional lapses in the lower court’s verdict such as its dismissal of credible eyewitness testimony.

Police have called Yoosuf “the top drug dealer” in Laamu Atoll. He was found guilty of drug trafficking and sentenced to 30 years on a separate case in November 2011, but released by the Drug Court in February 2012 after completing a six month rehabilitation program.

No record

Yoosuf fled from the police on December 15, 2009 when the police attempted to arrest him on suspicion of drug trafficking, eyewitnesses said.

When police caught up with him, he threw away a cigarette pack into the trees on the roadside. A rubber packet containing a black substance fell out from the box, eyewitnesses said.

At the Criminal Court, Yoosuf denied charges, arguing the rubber packet presented as evidence could not have fit inside the Camel Light cigarette box.

The presiding judge then asked the state to present the evidence at court. Forensic expert Corporal Mohamed Thihamee went to court with the evidence and demonstrated how the packet could be folded to fit inside the box on August 22, 2010, but the Criminal Court later denied the hearing took place.

Thihamee also testified that the hearing took place. Yoosuf also said the evidence was presented, but said he did not remember seeing Thihamee fit the rubber packet inside the box.

Thihamee demonstrated the same during the High Court appeal.

Discrepancies

The Criminal Court also ruled there were too many discrepancies in witness statements to convict Yoosuf.

But the High Court said all four witnesses testified that they saw Yoosuf throw away the cigarette pack during the police chase and that they saw a rubber packet fall out from the box.

They further testified the police found the rubber packet caught between the fronds of a short coconut palm tree on the roadside, the High Court said.

The witness statements and the forensic report on the substance inside the packet is enough proof to convict Yoosuf, the High Court’s majority verdict found.

Dissenting judge Abdulla Hameed found Yoosuf not guilty on a procedural point, arguing the right process was not followed in compiling the forensic report. He said the junior police officer who conducted the analysis was only authorised to do so under a senior officer’s direct supervision.

But judges forming the majority opinion Azmiralda Zahir and Abdul Rauf Ibrahim said the senior police officer is not mandated to be present throughout the time of analysis, but is supposed to supervise whether all the procedures are followed correctly.

The Maldives Correctional Services recently temporarily released convicted drug kingpin Ibrahim Shafaz Abdul Razzak for medical treatment in suspect circumstances in February. But he was caught in Colombo and extradited to the Maldives in May.

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Former home minister questions government’s sincerity regarding death penalty

Former Home Minister Hassan Afeef has questioned the government’s intention to carry out the death sentence under recently introduced regulations.

“I think they are just playing to the minds of the people because they say they want to protect the religion and protect the country as one of their campaign pledges,” he said.

Afeef – home minister between 2010 and 2012 – also questioned the ability of the current tainted judiciary to provide the certainty required for implementation of the death penalty under Islamic law.

“The judiciary might pass the sentence, there may be a verdict, but I don’t think the current regime will carry it out,” said Afeef.

“They know how politically influenced the judiciary is as the present government are the people who politically influence these judicial decisions – so they know why they make these decisions.”

Afeef’s comments follow further international headlines regarding the new regulations.

The AFP has described the recent murder conviction of a minor to be a “test case” for the new law, although the home minister had previously said that the rules will be applied retroactively to all pending death sentences.

In a statement released yesterday, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) joined the growing international criticism accusing the Maldives government of being out-of-step with its international commitments.

“The decision to reinstate the death penalty in the Maldives, in particular against minors, is an outrage and gravely at odds with the growing international momentum towards abolition,” said FIDH President Karim Lahidji.

Lack of capacity

Speaking with Minivan News today, Afeef said the government’s attempts to carry out death sentences in accordance with Islamic Shariah were not possible with the criminal justice system as it is.

Afeef argued that those found guilty of such crimes beyond any doubt should be punished according to Islamic law, but questioned the capacity of the police and the judiciary to provide this certainty.

“According to Islam, when you pass the death penalty it has to be proven beyond doubt that the person has committed that crime and, according to the present situation – the present judiciary and the autocratic regime – we may find a situation where the person sentenced may not be the actual culprit,” he said.

The impartiality of the police and the judiciary has continued to be questioned this month, with the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party describing failures investigate the multiple charges against Supreme Court Judge Ali Hameed as “awe-inspiring”.

The statement said the failure of the police and the Judicial Services Commission to conclude investigations or to prosecute Judge Hameed were a clear indication of the status of the Maldives’ criminal justice system.

“Such a judge sitting on the supreme court bench is not recognised by any judicial or legal system in the world. And surely it is the general public who are facing injustice because of this,” said the party.

Hameed – who stands accused of appearing in a sex-tape as well as corruption – adjudicated on both the annulment the first round of last year’s presidential elections as well as the dismissal of the elections commissioner prior to parliamentary elections in March.

Both incidents were denounced by the international community, which has consistently called for judicial reform. Current Attorney General Mohamed Anil has pledged review and reform of the courts as part of the government’s legislative agenda.

Dheen and Qawm

Home Minister Umar Naseer’s January announcement that the government was making preparations to end the country’s 60-year moratorium on the death penalty culminated in the publication of new procedural regulations last month.

Following the gazetting of the new guidelines, Naseer said the chances of killing an innocent person after completing all the procedures in the regulation were “far-fetched” and “almost impossible”.

The regulation – which only allows implementation of death penalty when the sentence is delivered by the Supreme Court – will establish a death penalty committee to assure all procedures have been adhered to.

Mediation between the Islamic Ministry and the victim’s family is also mandated, with family members who are ‘warith’ (heirs in Shariah law) given an opportunity to pardon the convict with or without receiving blood money.

After having previously been opposed to the practice, President Abdulla Yameen announced a “change of heart” just weeks after winning his party’s presidential primary race last year.

Suggesting that “murder has to be punished with murder” in order to “save society”, Yameen embarked on a campaign of ‘dheen and qawm’ – religion and country – winning a drawn-out election in the second round last November.

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