Day: October 11, 2011

Bank of Maldives to introduce community banking

The Bank of Maldives Plc (BML) signed an agreement with the Maldives Post Ltd this week to provide community banking in islands without BML branches.

Speaking to press after the signing ceremony, Maldives Post Ltd Managing Director Shazly Shafeeq explained that community banking services, such as depositing and withdrawing cash through post, shall be provided to islands without bank branches.

“This is something new, and we shall implement it gradually, step by step, in a number of phases. We hope that, God Willing, the work shall begin the next year, and the first service would be an ATM,” Shazly was quoted as saying in Sun Online.

In the first phase, ATMs are to be set up at Noonu Atoll Velidhoo and Haa Dhaal Atoll Hanimaadhoo. A new ATM has meanwhile been opened at the Maldives Post Ltd building in Male’.

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Police close 125 cases in September

Police concluded investigations and forwarded 125 cases to the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) in September.

According to police statistics, of the 907 cases reported to different departments last month, 270 were reported to the property crimes department, 254 to the capital police, 144 to traffic police, 78 to the serious and organised crime department, 68 to the fraud and financial crime department, 53 to the drug enforcement department and 40 to the family and child protection department.

The fraud and financial crime department closed and sent 33 cases for prosecution while capital police closed 25 cases. The serious and organised crime and child and family protection departments each closed 17 cases. Drug cases sent for prosecution meanwhile numbered 12 followed by one case of traffic violation.

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Parliament to investigate alleged violation of MPs privileges

MPs voted 32-26 in favour of a proposal by Vilufushi MP Riyaz Rasheed to investigate a supposed violation of MPs special privileges by a group of social activists who put up posters of MPs across Male’ with their phone numbers.

Under the proposal voted through yesterday, the parliamentary Privileges Committee has been tasked with conducting an inquiry into the alleged violation and decide whether to ask police for an official investigation.

Last week, Riyaz submitted a motion without notice claiming that a civic action campaign against controversial Rf20,000-a-month committee allowances approved last year violated MPs’ special privileges.

A loose association of concerned citizens and members of local NGOs launched a campaign in late August after parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) decided to issue a lump sum of Rf140,000 (US$9,000) as committee allowance back pay for January through July this year.

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Parliament approves sending Maldivian troops to UN peacekeeping operations

Parliament yesterday approved sending Maldivian troops to join UN peacekeeping operations.

In August this year, parliament’s National Security Committee voted in favor of signing a memorandum of understanding with the UN to send Maldivian soldiers to UN conflict zones for peacekeeping operations.

All members of the committee were present at the meeting last Monday when voting took place, including Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Rozaina Adam, Peoples Alliance Party (PA) MP Abdul Raheem Abdulla and DRP MP Mohamed Nashiz.

On April 5, the cabinet decided to sign the memorandum of understanding with the UN and forwarded the matter to parliament, noting that it would be important for the Maldives to contribute to international efforts to ensure that every country, society and individual had the opportunity to live in peace and security.

According to 243(b) of the constitution, “if the President, as Commander in Chief, authorises or orders the employment of the military service in defence of the republic or as part of an international undertaking, the President shall without delay submit the authorisation to the People’s Majlis. The People’s Majlis may at any time approve the authorisation, or revoke the authorisation.”

During yesterday’s final debate stage at parliament, opposition MP Ahmed Mahlouf said the issue was “not a joke.”

“This is a very serious issue,” he said. “I do not think any honorable member would want to send some Maldivians abroad to their deaths.”

Religious NGO Jamiyyathul Salaf also expressed concern over the issue and called on the government to withdraw the decision.

Salaf at the time claimed that any Muslim who assisted non-Muslims in a war against Muslims would themselves be branded infidels.

“Muslims will be obliged to treat him as a non-Muslim in all ways, such as if dead, burying without enshrouding the body, burying the body with other non-believer, and when dealing with inheritance matters the terms and condition that applies to a non-believer who dies in a war against Muslims will be applied to him,” the NGO said.

The MoU was approved with 56 votes in favour, five abstentions and 11 votes against.

MPs Ibrahim Muthalib, Abdul Raheem Abdulla, Yousuf Abdul Ghafoor, Mohamed Mujthaz, Hassan Latheef, Ahmed Rasheed Ibrahim, Moosa Zameer, MP Abdul Azeez Jamaal Abu Bakur, Hussein Mohamed, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Mohamed Nasheed and Dhivehi Qaumy Party (DQP) Riyaz Rasheed voted against signing the MoU with the UN.

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Criminal Court convicts two individuals listed as dangerous by police

The Criminal Court yesterday convicted two persons identified by police as dangerous criminals.

The court identified the pair as Hassan Ali of Fares-Mathoda in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll, who was sentenced to three years, and Aseel Ismail, who was sentenced to seven years.

The pair was sentenced after the Criminal Court found them guilty of attacking Riluwan Faruhath last year in December, on Boduthakurufaanu Magu in Male’.

At today’s hearing the judge said that Aseel had confessed that he had an altercation with Riluwan that day and attacked him with a machete.

Hassan was charged for assisting Aseel in fleeing after attacking Riluwan.

In March this year, Hassaan and Aseel were arrested again during a special operation conducted to avoid potential clashes between rival gangs following the fatal stabbing of 21 year-old Ahusan Basheer.

Recently two individuals, Ali Shareef and Maadhih Mohamed, were sentenced to jail after the court found both guilty of stabbing Ismail Firdhause of Feydhoo in Addu City on February 24 2011, when he got off the Hulhumale’ ferry.

Because it was the first time both had been found guilty of a crime violating the Act, Maadhih was sentenced to eight years and Shareef to 12 years in prison.

Both had denied the charges against them, however the court granted the police authority to hold them in custody until their trial was concluded.

Maadhih and Shareef both admitted that they were in the area when the incident occurred but denied that they were involved in it or that they knew anybody in the gang that attacked Firdhause.

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