Day: December 17, 2012

Police ask PG to press charges against motorists involved in Gasim’s death: no mention of police involvement

Police submitted a case to the Prosecutor General’s office on December, asking it to press charges against the motorist and the passenger on the speeding motorcycle involved in the death of bystander Abdulla Gasim Ibrahim on August 17.

In a press release issued on December 15, police stated that the persons alleged to have caused the death of Gasim were 21 year-old Ahmed Nadhee Saleem, of NooruhSabah on Gemanafushi in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll and an unnamed 17 year-old boy.

Although previous police accounts stated that the two persons had been speeding on a motorcycle after stealing a mobile phone from an expatriate, the latest press release adds that the motorcycle being driven by the two was also stolen property.

The statement reads: “The request to press charges against these two persons has been sent to the Prosecutor General with relation to the events of August 17, at a time of which day these persons stole a motorcycle parked in front of Twilight Rivery in Henveiru ward, drove it at very fast speeds, stole a Nokia mobile phone from an expatriate who was standing near what was formerly known as the Bond Street shop, ignored orders from police at the scene to stop, and continued speeding despite attempts by police officers to stop them, resulting in a collision with a parked motorcycle on Orchid Magu near the Justice Building, causing severe injury and the ensuing death of the motorist on the parked motorcycle.”

The statement makes no mention of the police officer who was shown in leaked CCTV footage of the incident to have struck the fleeing suspects with his baton, causing them to collide with Gasim.

Police cover-up

The leaked video of the incident, which has been making rounds on social media since the beginning of December, shows a policeman stepping in front of the speeding motorcycle and hitting the motorcyclist on the head with a baton.

The victim’s family has also previously written to the Police Integrity Commission alleging that there was police involvement in the death of Gasim, describing the event as was later publicly seen in the leaked video. The family has said that it has so far not received any official response from the commission.

Despite the video evidence, police are now pressing charges against the cyclist and the passenger, while no mention of police involvement which led to the death was mentioned in the press statement.

Police Media Official Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef was not responding to calls at the time of press.

Minivan News also tried contacting PIC President Abdulla Waheed, whose phone was switched off at the time of press.

PIC Director General Fathimath Sarira stated that the commission would be able to comment on the matter on Thursday, and that they had no comment for the time being.

On December 3, Sarira had confirmed that the commission was looking into the allegations of police involvement in the incident, stating that the ‘investigations are nearing conclusion’.

Meanwhile, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has submitted a motion to parliament, requesting the Committee on Oversight of the Executive review the case.

Prosecutor General Ahmed Muizzu was unable to speak to Minivan News today.

Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) President Mariyam Azra was also not responding to calls, while HRCM Vice President Ahmed Tholal and member Jeehan Mahmood had their phones switched off.

Warning: Some viewers may find the following footage disturbing

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ACC to investigate alleged violations of public finance law by Prosecutor General’s Office

Parliament today approved a decision by the Finance Committee to instruct the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to investigate alleged violations of public finance law by the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO).

The decision was made in a report (Dhivehi) forwarded by the Finance Committee after studying violations of the Public Finance Act and regulations under the law flagged in the PGO audit report for 2010.

Reviewing audit reports and recommending measures to be taken by the relevant authorities is part of the mandate of the public accounts oversight committee.

The Finance Committee decision was approved with 51 votes in favour and two abstentions.

The audit report found that the PG office spent a total of MVR 145,596 (US$9,706) in violation of the Public Finance Act.

Among the cases uncovered in the audit that the ACC was asked to investigate, the PGO was found to have spent MVR 40,745 (US$2640) in additional expenses for interior design after moving to its new offices, without an agreement on price and quality of the work as required by section 8.21 of the public finance regulations.

Moreover, the PGO spent MVR 45,938 (US$3000) on an official dinner to participants of an e-crime conference participants in June 2010 without a publicly-announced bidding process.

The Finance Committee decided to send both cases to the ACC for investigation and inform the PGO to take measures to remedy the matters identified in the audit report.

The committee also decided that the Prosecutor General had breached article 17 and 20 of the constitution on non-discrimination and equality before the law as the office has prosecuted cases where the public finance regulations were similarly violated.

After the committee report was passed at today’s sitting, some MPs contended that Prosecutor General Ahmed Muizz would have to be removed from his post due to the decision.

However, Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim – also chair of the Finance Committee – said that Muizz would not be dismissed as the process specified in the constitution had to be followed to remove appointed officials at independent institutions.

Meanwhile, in a press release last week, the PGO said it would “always welcome” investigations by other state institutions into alleged violations of the constitution and laws by the office.

The PGO’s statement also assured that the office would provide “full cooperation” for the investigation.

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State Finance Minister warns National Movement will “break up” parliament

Minister of State for Finance Abbas Adil Riza has accused Parliamentary Speaker Abdulla Shahid of “challenging” the Supreme Court after he tabled a no-confidence motion despite an injunction from the court.

Riza’s comments follow parliament’s announcement last week that a no-confidence motion against Defence Minster Colonel (Retired) Mohamed Nazim has been tabled despite a Supreme Court injunction ordering parliament to halt all pending no-confidence votes.

Speaking at the artificial beach on Monday (December 17) Riza, who is also a National Movement Steering Committee member, said that Shahid’s decision to “challenge” the Supreme Court was a “cowardly act”.

“Unless Shahid immediately ceases his efforts to violate the constitution while holding the post of Speaker of Parliament, the National Movement will ensure that this comes to a stop,” local media reported Riza as saying.

Furthermore, Riza warned that should the parliament try to violate the constitution, the National Movement will “break up” the parliament.

Last week, the People’s Majlis secretariat revealed that Defence Minister Nazim has been given the required 14-day notice and his ministry also duly informed by Speaker Abdulla Shahid.

Repsonding to Riza’s comments, Majlis Deputy Speaker and fellow PA MP Ahmed Nazim said that the Parliament has not challenged the Supreme Court’s injunction, noting that it has given the full 14 days notice to the court as per stated by the law.

“We believe there is still time for Supreme Court to lift the temporary injunction, and I believe they will not see this as the parliament challenging the court.

“After 14 days, the motion will be put up on the agenda for discussion by party leaders. If the injunction remains then there is a possibility for party leaders to challenge the court,” Nazim told Minivan News.

Article 101(a) of the constitution states, “At least fourteen days notice of the debate in the People’s Majlis concerning a motion under article (a) shall be given to the concerned member of the cabinet, and he shall have the right to defend himself in the sittings of the People’s Majlis, both orally and in writing.”

When asked if there was concern from parliament over Riza’s comments, Nazim revealed that the institution as a whole did not feel threatened, however there had been “concern” expressed by individual parliamentary members.

“The institution is protected by the constitution and we have protection from the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), however at least one individual has told us he feels threatened and believes that security needs to be increased.

Abbas Adil Riza was not responding to calls at time of press.

On December 3, parliament voted 41-34 to approve amendments to the parliamentary rules of procedure to conduct no-confidence votes to impeach the President and remove cabinet members through secret ballot.

MPs of the government-aligned Jumhooree Party (JP) and Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) joined the formerly ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) to vote the amendment through.

The no-confidence motion against Defence Minister Nazim was submitted by the MDP earlier this month on the grounds that he misused his authority as acting Transport Minister by using the military to influence termination of commercial contracts.

No-confidence motion against Home Minister Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed

Meanwhile, a no-confidence motion has again been submitted against Home Minister Dr Mohamed Jameel today (November 17).

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) submitted the same motion to parliament on a previous occasion, but withdrew it at the last minute after the voting was scheduled for parliament.

An MP told local media that this latest motion was submitted with 17 signatures including the signatures of MDP MPs, however this has yet to be officially confirmed.

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MDP forwards no-confidence motion against Home Minister

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has forwarded a no-confidence motion against Home Minister Dr Mohamed Jameel, for the second time.

This is the second time the MDP has submitted a no-confidence motion against the Home Minister. The last time the motion was submitted the MDP withdrew the motion for unexplained reasons.

A statement issued by the MDP today accused the Home Minister of failing to control civil peace and order in the country, which it said had led to the loss of eight lives.

The MDP further referred to an incident in which a man on a motorcycle was killed after a police officer struck a second motorcyclist with his baton, causing him to collide with the first.

Police at the time did not reveal the involvement of the police officer in the death of the bystander. Video footage of the incident was subsequently leaked to the media.

The MDP alleged that Home Minister Jameel had tried to cover up police involvement in the death.

The no-confidence motion was signed by 17 MDP MPs.

Last week the parliament tabled a no-confidence motion filed against Defence Minister Colonel (Retired) Mohamed Nazim,despite a Supreme Court injunction ordering parliament to halt all pending no-confidence votes.

The People’s Majlis secretariat revealed that Defence Minister Nazim has been given the required 14-day notice and his ministry also duly informed by Speaker Abdulla Shahid.

A no-confidence motion against the President is also in the parliament awaiting scheduling.

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Fault in Laamu Kadhdhoo aiport’s only fire truck causes operations to halt

The only fire truck at Laamu Kadhdhoo airport failed to start this morning causing airport operations to come to a halt.

Due to a fault in the fire truck, Ahmed Ali, who is currently in charge of the airport, said it had not been possible for any aircraft to land at the airport since 9:30am.

Operations were also suspended yesterday due to the same problem.

“We only have one fire truck. The truck has failed to start, so operations have been suspended,” Ali told local media.

While efforts to repair the truck were underway, Ali said that some of the equipment required to repair the truck was not at the airport.

According to Ali, airport operations are to resume by 8:00pm tonight (December 17).

Aviation law prohibits airplanes from landing at an airport without the presence of an operational fire truck.

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“There was a legitimate contract signed. We are disappointed”: Malaysian Trade Minister

The Malaysian government has expressed “disappointment” at the scrapping of the Maldives’ “legitimate” contract with the GMR-Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad consortium.

Indian media reported that Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak was scheduled to visit New Delhi towards the end of the week and would likely be discussing the matter with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Malaysia’s Consul General in Chennai, Citra Devi Ramiyah, told reporters in Delhi that it was too early to speculate whether MAHB would seek compensation from the Maldivian government, which voided the GMR-MAHB concession agreement and ordered the company to leave by December 7.

The government had earlier dismissed a stay order for the eviction granted by the arbitrators – the Singapore High Court – as an affront to the country’s sovereignty. A day before the end of the seven day notice period, the injunction was dropped on appeal after Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon of the Supreme Court of Singapore declared that “the Maldives government has the power to do what it wants, including expropriating the airport.”

Ramiyah told reporters that the Maldivian government had shown its intention “to do the project on its own and [was] willing to compensate financially. So, it is very early for us to comment.”

Malaysian Minister of International Trade and Industry Seri Mustapa Mohamad was more concerned, according to the Economic Times, and expressed hope that the Maldives would reconsider its decision to evict the investors.

“In Male we have enjoyed very close ties with the previous government for many years. The Maldives is 100 per cent Muslim country. Of course, with the new government the lesson for us is we should be more careful, more due diligent,” Mohamad said.

“We want our investments to be protected. There was a legitimate contract signed. We are disappointed,” he added.

GMR meanwhile handed over the duty free stores today after being ordered to do so by the government.

“GMR has vacated the duty free shops at the airport. So since they’ve cleared their goods, no services will be provided from the shops,” Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) Rahmathullah Ashraf told local media.

Andrew Harrison, CEO of GMR Male International Airport – GMR’s side of the voided airport development – dismissed claims in local media that the company had “stripped” the duty free store ahead of the handover.

“We were asked to close duty free by the 17th. It is not true we have stripped duty free. We have destocked and in some cases returned goods to suppliers, or found buyers through appropriate customs procedures,” Harrison said.

GMR had sought a smooth transition after being ordered to handover the airport “as we did not want passengers or carriers to suffer,” he said. “The only area left where we [were] active was duty free.”

GMR staff had begun returning to India, particularly those involved in the construction of the new terminal after the cancellation of the contracts to build it, he said.

The government has not yet declared what it intends to do with the foundations of the abandoned terminal project, built on 60 hectares of reclaimed land on the other side of the airport island.

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Sick Indian prisoners in the Maldives denied treatment: The Hindu

More than a year after India and the Maldives signed an agreement on transfer of convicted prisoners, as many as 14 Indian inmates in the archipelago are losing hope of being transferred to prisons in their country, reports Indian newspaper The Hindu.

“We have no problems. From our side, there is no delay. We welcome India taking back sentenced prisoners,” a Maldivian official told The Hindu last week, when asked about the delay in paperwork.

Just as in the case of 33 Indian prisoners in Sri Lanka, the Indians in Maldives prisons are also at the receiving end of Indian bureaucracy. But unlike in the case of Indian prisoners in Sri Lanka, most of the 14 prisoners in the Maldives are ill and have almost no access to treatment. Access to treatment for most islanders in the Maldives consumes time, energy and money. Vacancies for specialist-doctors exist even in the country’s main hospital, the Indian-built Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Male.

“I do not know what my disease is,” said a woman prisoner who has been jailed in the Central North province of Maafushi, in Kaafu Atoll. “After I have been brought to Maafushi, I have never met a doctor. Every month, they take me to Male and bring me back. Soon after that they take a signature of mine in a paper with something written in Dhivehi [the official language of the Maldives],” said the woman, in a letter to the Indian High Commissioner in the Maldives.

Read more

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Man sentenced to one year imprisonment for refusing urine sample

The Criminal Court on Sunday sentenced a man to one year imprisonment for refusing to submit a urine sample to police.

The verdict marks the first time a person was convicted for the offence since the new drug law came into force on December 31, 2011.

Ali Abdulla, of Hulhumale’ flat 10g 4, was arrested in a drug-related case on May 14 and refused to submit a urine sample to police.

He was sentenced under article 123(b) of the Drug Act (Dhivehi), which states that refusing to submit a urine sample when arrested on drug-related charges is a crime punishable by a one year jail term.

Following a police special operation in November that saw two MPs arrested from an uninhabited island in Haa Dhaal atoll on suspicion of drug use and alcohol consumption, police said individuals who refused to undergo a urine examination could face prosecution.

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP for Kaashidhoo Abdullah Jabir and MP for Henveiru-South Haamid Abdul Ghafoor, former President Nasheed’s Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair, his wife Mariyam Faiza, and former President Nasheed’s Chief Advisor Ibrahim Hussain Zaki, allegedly refused to cooperate with police in the urine testing procedure.

Meanwhile, police sent cases of two individuals aged 23 and 39 who refused to provide urine samples to the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) in December.

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More than 150 searched in police special operation

Police stopped and searched 153 people during a 24-hour special operation launched on Saturday (December 15) to curb crime rates in the capital Male’.

Police said officers on patrol “questioned people out on the street late at night without a purpose” and monitored groups of people in various locations.

Article 47(a) of the constitution however states, “No person shall be subject to search or seizure unless there is reasonable cause.”

Police meanwhile said the operation is set to continue in the future to “make Male’ secure.”

At a press briefing in October, Assistant Commissioner of Police revealed that officers on patrol after midnight questioned 2,930 individuals in a few weeks and prepared their profiles.

The Head of Central Operations Command explained that police have been “questioning people awake and out on the street without a purpose after midnight” as part of the ongoing operation to curb crime in the capital.

Saudhi also claimed that the government’s decision to revoke licenses of businesses to operate 24-hours has led to a decrease in the crime rate.

In October, police requested the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) press criminal charges against a pair of 18 year-olds for refusing to submit to a search by officers on patrol.

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