Day: December 8, 2009

Sultans of the Sea ordered to pay US$50 million

The civil court yesterday ordered luxury yachting company Sultans of the Seas to pay over Rf654 million (US$50 million) in unpaid loans, fines and accumulated interest to the Bank of Maldives (BML) in the course of one year.

Ruling in favour of the bank, Judge Aisha Shujoon said the company was liable for loans of US$15.3 million, US$8.7 million and €12.5 million as well as US$500,000 in combined credit limit facilities as agreed upon in June 2008.

The judge ruled that records and documents presented to court proved that as of 7 December, Sultans owes US$18 million on the first demand loan, US$10 million on the second and €14 million on the third.

Sultans would have to pay the loans back in monthly instalments of about US$4.2 million, the court ruled. If the company failed to make the payments by 7 December 2010, yachts and property mortgaged by the company will be sold in auction after a 15 day period.

Minivan News was unavailable to reach senior officials of the company for a comment today.

In the BML audit report released in January, Auditor General Ibrahim Naeem revealed that defaults on bank loans issued to influential political players could jeopardise the entire financial system of the country.

Over 60 per cent of the US$633 million worth of loans issued in 2008 was granted to 12 parties, the report said.

According to the report, US$45 million was granted to Sultans of the Seas and US$36 million to Fonnadhoo Tuna Products, which comprised 13 per cent of the total loan amount in 2008.

It notes that Fonaddhoo is owned by Kendhoo MP Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, a former minister and now parliamentary group leader of the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party, while the owners of Sultans of the Seas were closely associated with the DRP deputy leader.

In September, Maldives Customs filed a case at civil court to recover US$8.5 million from Sultans of the Seas in unpaid duties and fines for allegedly defrauding customs to import two luxury yachts.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

DQP condemns TVM poll on religious freedom

The opposition Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) has condemned a poll on state television about freedom of religion, accusing the government of attempting to allow religions other than Islam into the Maldives and undermining Islamic faith.

A press release by the party yesterday states that the poll on a Television Maldives (TVM) programme on Sunday night was “a devious scheme” intended to show that other religions could be practiced.

“Maldivians have remained 100 per cent Muslims for over 800 years and no effort was made in the name of religious freedom to see whether Maldivians could practice religions other than Islam,” it reads. “We call upon [President Mohamed] Nasheed’s government to cease its efforts to show through TVM or any other state institution that there is space for religions other than Islam in the country.”

The party believes that the purpose of the poll was to “philosophically” weaken Maldivians’ faith and “encourage the people trying to bring other religions to the Maldives”.

It adds that Islam in the Maldives was under threat due to the government’s policies.

DQP is led by former presidential candidate Dr Hassan Saeed, who resigned as special advisor to the president on the anniversary of the government’s 100 days in power. In October, the party left the coalition government, arguing it was failing to deliver on campaign promises.

Speaking to Minivan News today, Mohamed Zuhair, the president’s office press secretary, said the president’s office had no connection to the poll.

“The[Maldives National Broadcasting Corporation] is a company now,” he said. “There is no official mechanism to interact with them, apart from inviting them to press conferences like everyone else.”

He added DQP’s line of attack was “a joke” and clearly politically motivated. “It’s like saying the dried buns sold at some teashop tasted too spicy today – let’s blame the president’s office.”

Zuhair claimed the party were resorting to the same attacks it deployed unsuccessfully in last year’s presidential election because “they can’t accept defeat”. He predicted the DQP would disseminate more press releases in the near future to prove it was an active party, as the Elections Commission will soon be allocating funds for political parties.

Ahmed Afruh Rasheed, editor of TVM news, told Minivan News today the DQP had taken the poll out of context as the programme hosted a discussion on disputes within Islam.

“Their press release shows that they didn’t even watch the programme,” he said. “The question wasn’t whether other religions should be allowed in Maldives. It was about whether space should be given to disagreements about Islam in our society.”

The show focuses on “controversial social issues” that were not spoken about publicly, he added, with the purpose of raising awareness in society.

Afruh denied the poll was meant to encourage religious freedom or that it was put up on the orders of the president’s office.

Other issues addressed by the programme have included the rights of expatriate workers, the neglect of the elderly and media freedom, he said.

Zuhair said there was no reason to harbour ill will towards the new government apart from “an inability to digest defeat”.

“This government hasn’t used devious means to torture an inmate to death. This government hasn’t used tried to meddle in a judicial trial. This government has not had high-level officials accused of corruption,” he said.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Maldives’ youth delegates return from Copenhagen

Three of the four young climate delegates from the Maldives have returned from representing the island nation at the youth climate conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The event preceded the United Nations’ Climate Change Conference (COP 15) that began today, where 192 parties are meeting with the intention of formulating an agreement to stabilise the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Organisers hope the conference will prove as successful as COP3 in 1997, known as the Kyoto Protocol, which led to agreements on mandatory emission reductions.

Aishath Shifana, Mohamed Ansar and Aminath Riuman Wasif returned home on Sunday while the fourth Maldivian delegate, Mohamed Axan Maumoon, will remain in Denmark for a several more days after being chosen to meet the Danish Prime Minister.

Axan is revelling in his role as youth climate ambassador of the Maldives, appearing on award-winning US news program Democracy Now, the largest community media collaboration in North America.

“On the basis that you know what you are doing is wrong and you can see that the victim is begging for mercy, would you commit murder?” Axam asked the program’s viewers.

The other school students were welcomed home at the UN building by Education Minister Dr Mustafa Lutfy and UN staff including Mansoor Ali, Unicef representative to the Maldives.

Mansoor urged them to “keep up the momentum”, by trying to engage more of their contemporaies in tackling climate change, pledging the support of Unicef, while Lutfy offered the support of the education ministry to buoy the efforts of the schools’ climate clubs.

“I hope the trip was useful from an individual perspective as well as anchoring your efforts into the future,” Mansoor said, adding that he hoped the students had also had time to see Denmark.

Officer-in-charge of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in the Maldives, Dr Arun Kashyap, suggested the students continue to work together and develop a proposal for a youth climate summit to be held in the Maldives.

Coping in Copenhagen

The Maldivian delegates explore a forest in Denmark
The Maldivian delegates explore a forest in Denmark

During the week-long visit to Denmark, over 200 delegates aged 14-17 from 42 countries set up stands in Copenhagen town hall promoting their country’s efforts to combat climate change. The Maldivian delegates confessed theirs “was one of the most popular”, with many people fascinated by the immediate threat climate change and sea level rise poses for the low-lying island nation.

“It was very interesting to see how people responded to the issue of sea level rise,” Wasif explained. “Everyone kept saying: ‘we’d better go and see the Maldives before it is under the sea.'”

The Maldivians’ response, Ansar said, was to say “we don’t want to be under the sea. We’re an innocent [party] suffering from the actions of developed countries.”

The students’ enthusiasm for their subject was quickly picked up by the attending media and the group were inundated with interviews throughout their time in Denmark, frequently making national headlines.

There were a lot of journalists and we were always busy with interviews,” Ansar said. “I don’t think we’ll ever be afraid of journalists again,” he laughed. The trick, he explained, was “to talk normally, as you would to a friend.”

Seeing an opportunity to gain support from the education ministry, Shifana asked Lutfy to “please give the school climate clubs more support, because they are the least popular clubs in school.”

“We would like more students to join and be as interested in the environment as we are,” she said.

The four students were chosen from across the Maldives. A short-list of 10 competed in a quiz broadcast on TVM, from which the final four were selected.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Voluntary counselling and testing centre opens

The police medical service’s voluntary counselling and testing centre was inaugurated yesterday by Abdul Bari Abdullah, minister of state for health.

The centre was established under a project by the UN Global Fund and the centre for community health and disease control and will be open to the public for HIV testing.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Five arrested in Addu atoll on drug possession

Police arrested five people in Addu Hithadhoo on Saturday with a large amount of drugs.

Hassan Ibrahim Didi, 18, Zura, S. Hithadhoo, Ibrahim Ashvadhu,22, Asramanzil, S. Hithadhoo and a 17-year-old was taken into police custody at 4.45am in the woods.

Police found 77 rubber packets with drugs and Rf2,210 in the area. Two more men, Ali Shiraj, 22, and Hassan Shaaz, 20, of Nanreethige, Hithadhoo were with 53 packets in their possession.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Maldives recover to beat Afghanistan

Defending champions Maldives beat Afghanistan 3-1 at the ongoing SAFF Championship on Monday.

Afghanistan took the lead early in the first half, but Ahmed Thoriq restored parity for the champions, while a brace from Ali Ashfaq sealed the points.

Maldives will face India next, who have already qualified to the semis, to fight for the top berth in the group.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Police officers return from training in Mysore

Four senior officers from the Maldives Police Service have return from a deputy superintendent training course in the Karnataka Police Academy in India, Miadhu reports.

The one year course involved training on subjects such as human rights, criminal psychology, forensics, cyber crime and criminal jurisprudence. The four senior officers, Fathullah Waheed, Mohamed Nadheem, Yoosuf Bushree and Moosa Rasheedh, also received advanced training on insurgency and counter-insurgency tactics, field craft and map reading by paramilitary officers.

All officers successfully completed the course, while Mohamed Nadheem was chosen as ‘Most Outstanding Student’ after coming first in high jump and being awarded ‘Best Player’ in the volleyball competition.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Man arrested over drowning

A man has been arrested in connection with the drowning of 26 year-old Moosa Jinaa, of Gandhakoalhige Maradhoo, Miadhu reports.

Jinaa’s body was found on Saturday night in the island’s lagoon, police said. He had reportedly left to do some night fishing accompanied by another man, and when he failed to return islanders launched a search.

Police said Jinaa’s companion tried to flee when he was also discovered in the lagoon, and said the islanders tried to attack him. However the doctor who examined the body at Hithadhoo Regional Hospital said there were no obvious signs of foul play.

The man remains in police custody and the incident is now being investigated.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)