The Criminal Court has suspended the two police lawyers who prosecuted the cases of Majlis members Gasim Ibrahim, Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom and Ahmed Nazim.
Inspectors of Police Mohamed Riyaz and Mohamed Jina were suspended for contempt of court.
The Criminal Court informed police of the decision in a letter sent to Police Commissioner on Sunday, according to a police media official, but the official refused to comment further.
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(0)The Supreme Court of Maldives has overturned a High Court ruling to keep MPs Gasim Ibrahim and Abdulla Yameen under house arrest for 15 days, ordering the immediate release of the high-profile businessmen and minor opposition party leaders.
Yameen and Gasim were detained pending an investigation into alleged corruption, bribery and treason.
A legal team led by former Attorneys General Azima Shukoor and Dr Hassan Saeed, representing the MPs, appealed the High Court decision last week on the grounds that the arrest was unlawful as Gasim was taken to the police station “to clarify something.”
Today’s ruling invalidates both the Criminal Court order to keep the MPs under house arrest for three days and the High Court ruling to extend the period to 15 days.
Chief Justice Abdullah Saeed said there was no room to uphold the lower court rulings granting the police authority to arrest the MPs.
The panel of five judges on the interim court concurred that the evidence presented was not sufficient to keep Gasim and Yameen under house arrest or in custody.
Speaking to press after the verdict, former Justice Minister Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed and Dr Hassan Saeed said the ruling was “a victory for separation of powers in the Maldives.”
“Both of them were arrested in violation of the constitution and today this has been proven,” the Dhivehi Qaumee Party leader said.
Mulaku MP Yamin told reporters that the highest court of appeal in the country has ruled that police disregarded the law and the constitution in arresting the MPs.
“This is a victory for the Maldivian people, a complete victory,” said Gasim.
Crowds of PA and JP supporters gathered outside the former presidential palace Theemuge that houses the Supreme Court and High Court, to celebrate the ruling.
The leaders of the opposition People’s Alliance and Jumhoori Party (Republican Party) was arrested on 29 June in the wake of the en masse resignation of the cabinet, who claimed that opposition MPs were obstructing the government with the passage of laws intended to wrest executive power from the president.
The first hearing
At last week’s Supreme Court hearing, police requested that the court abolish provisions in the parliamentary rules of procedure that restrict the detention of MPs.
Ibrahim Riffath, Deputy Solicitor General advocating on behalf of the police in his personal capacity, argued the provisions were unconstitutional as article 88(a) of the constitution only grants authority to the People’s Majlis to formulate regulations for its administration and that MPs’ privilege could not be extended through such regulations.
According to local newspaper Haveeru, another point of contention at the hearing was interpreting article 45 of the constitution, which states everyone has the right not to be arbitrarily detained, arrested or imprisoned except as provided by law enacted by the People’s Majlis in accordance with article 16.
Article 16 restricts Majlis to enacting laws that could limit rights and freedoms to any extent only if demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.
Grilled by the judge, Mohamed Jinah from police said the law referred to in article 45 was the Police Act, which grants police extensive powers for criminal investigation.
However, former AG Hassan Saeed said it refers to the Criminal Justice Procedures Act, which was being drafted at the same time as the constitution.
Hassan Saeed said the Police Act does not specify how arrests and detentions should be made.
Asked whether such a law existed, he answered no.
(0)Dislikes(0)A 78 year-old man has been arrested for allegedly abusing a 12 year-old disabled girl last Friday on the island of Inguraidhoo in Raa Atoll.
Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam confirmed that an elderly man was arrested in connection with a child abuse case in Inguraidhoo.
”We can’t provide further information regarding the case,” he said.
An islander familiar with the matter alleged that the girl’s mother sold her to the old man, “because the girl is a disabled girl and she cannot even attend to school,” he said.
”The islanders say that her mother gave her to the old man for some amount of money. Both of them were taken to Inguraidhoo police station, and police have now released her mother.”
He said the old man was not a man from the island but said he used to visit Inguraidhoo.
(0)Dislikes(0)Letters sent by MDP MPs to President Mohamed Nasheed containing allegations of corruption against Jumhoree Party(JP) leader MP Gasim Ibrahim have been leaked to the press.
Gasim is currently under house arrest, charged with bribery and treason.
The documents are addressed to the President and signed by ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs Mohamed Nazim, Ahmed Easa, Mohamed Gasam, Mohamed Rasheed, Mohamed Shifaz and Ilyas Labeeb.
In one of the letters, Madaveli MP Mohamed Nazim claims that Gasim offered him a 100 foot fibereglass fishing boat and Rf4 million to join the JP, adding that the offer was unlawful and could be considered attempted bribery.
In his letter Kedhikolhudhoo MP Ahmed Easa alleges that Gasim offered him Rf5 million to defect from MDP to the JP.
The letter from Mohamed Gasam, MP for Thinadhoo, claims Gasim had offered him “many rewards” to recruit him away from MDP.
In a letter signed by Hulhu-Meedhoo MP Ilyas Labeeb, the writer mentions that Gasim offered him Rf5 million to buy and construct a house in Hulhumale’.
Press Secretary for the President’s Office, Mohamed Zuhair, said that he could not confirm whether the letters were genuine, or that the letters were the same as those received by the president.
‘’Similar complaints were forwarded to president by several MPs,’’ said Zuhair. ‘’I cannot confirm whether the [leaked] letters are the actual letters.’’
Zuhair said that police were currently investigating the allegations of corruption against the opposition leaders.
Spokesperson for the MDP parliamentary group, Baarah MP Mohamed Shifaz, one of the MPs whose name was on one of the leaked letters, revealed that the leaked letter in his name was an edited version of the letter he actually wrote.
Shifaz said that the middle paragraph of the leaked document in his name was edited.
‘’I did not mention any amount of money Gasim offered me,” Shifaz said. “I wrote that he had offered me different amounts on different occasions.”
‘’I did send a letter to president last month, because of a rumor that circulating in those days that I was about to join the JP,” he said. “It dragged me into a situation where MPs almost lost confidence in me, and I thought the president might feel the same way. So I sent him a letter to make him confident that I would not leave MDP.”
MDP’s Council adopted a resolution late last month to terminate its coalition agreement with JP.
Gasim did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.
(0)Dislikes(0)Maldives is named as a winner in many categories of the Indian Ocean section of the 2010 World Travel Awards, based on voting by thousands of travel agents.
Cocoa Island won the award for the Indian Ocean’s leading boutique hotel, and Maldives is the leading cruise and honeymoon destination, Baros won the leading hotel award, and Conrad Maldives Rangali Hotel is the leading resort.
W Retreat and Spa is the leading spa resort, and Vermillion International Travel won the award for leading travel agency.
Adaaran Prestige Resorts won the leading water villa group category and Baros Residence is the leading villa.
(0)Dislikes(0)A Maldives consulate has been inaugurated in Salisbury, UK.
The High Commissioner for the Maldives, Dr Farah Faizal, and MP for Salisbury John Glen were present at the inauguration along with a delegation from the High Commission in London including Deputy High Commissioner Naushad Waheed, Political Affairs Officer Sarah Mahir and Attache Ahmed Imran.
John Glen the MP for Salisbury maintains close links to the Maldives and has visited the Maldives with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy and the UK Conservative Party.
Salisbury was used as a base by political refugees from the Maldives between 2003-2008, where activists – including the current President – lobbied the UK government, UN, Commonwealth and Human Rights NGOs. ‘Minivan Radio’ was also broadcast on shortwave from Salisbury to the Maldives.
President Nasheed sent a message to the inauguration, stating that “When I left the Maldives and became a political refugee, it was Salisbury that provided me, and fellow Maldivians, refuge. For over a year, Salisbury was the home of the Maldivian democracy struggle. It is such a beautiful town and the people were so hospitable to us Maldivians. Salisbury will always have a special place in our hearts.”
Friends of Maldives (FoM) founder David Hardingham was appointed as Honorary Consul of the Maldives in Salisbury in 2009. The former government had blacklisted Hardingham after alleging he was both a Christian missionary and part of an extremist islamic conspiracy to bomb important building in Male’.
Hardingham said he saw his role as Honorary Consul “to maintain strong links between the people of Maldives and Salisbury and to improve and promote good relations between the Maldives and the UK and to support the work of the High Commission in London.”
(0)Dislikes(0)A parakeet in Malaysia called ‘Meena Kutti’ has joined Germany’s fortune telling octopus Paul in predicting a World Cup win for Spain.
The parakeet usually predicts fortunes in business and life, but has recently begun catering to match tips – so far picking small envelopes with unerring accuracy.
“Meena is one-of-a-kind and is always accurate in her predictions,” her owner MC Mohan claimed.
Mohan, who has practiced parrot fortune-telling for more than 25 years, said he bought the bird from India has has refused to sell her despite many offers.
Fortune animals are rapidly eclipsing players as the stars of the 2010 World Cup, largely due to lacklustre performances from many favourite teams.
(0)Dislikes(0)The President and First Lady Laila Ali attended a fundraising football match a Galolhu stadium on Friday night, an event to help raise funds for NGO ‘Tiny Hearts of Maldives’.
Tiny Hearts aims to provide information, professional knowledge and support to Maldivian parents on children’s heart health issues, with a particular emphasis on congenital heart conditions.
Many local celebrities attended the successful event along with the president, including male and female TV presenters, actors, and singers.
The “Save a Tiny Heart” campaign is aimed at raising funds for heart surgery for 20 children.
(0)Dislikes(0)An image showing internal and surface waves on the Indian Ocean near the Andaman islands has been published by NASA’s Earth Observatory website.
“When tides drag the ocean over a shallow barrier such as a ridge on the ocean floor, it creates waves in the lower, denser layer of water,” Earth Observatory explains. “These waves, internal waves, can be tens of kilometers long and can last several hours.”
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