Year: 2012

MDP MPs call on JSC to suspend CSC Chair Fahmy

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs have called on the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to suspend Civil Service Commission (CSC) Chair Mohamed Fahmy Hassan from the judicial watchdog body as a sexual harassment case against the JSC member had been forwarded for prosecution.

In a joint statement on Wednesday, MDP MPs ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik, Hamid Abdul Gafoor, Ibrahim Rasheed, Mohamed Rasheed and Mohamed Thoriq criticised the JSC’s public statements insisting that parliament could not summon judges to committee.

The MPs contended that the JSC continuing to hold meetings with Fahmy in attendance was against the spirit of the constitution, adding that Fahmy had a conflict of interest in sitting in the JSC while a criminal case against him was being prepared to be filed at court.

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Maldivian Airline celebrates arrival of first Airbus A320 aircraft

Maldivian, the national airline carrier, celebrated the arrival of its first Airbus A320 aircraft in the Maldives at a ceremony at the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) on Wednesday.

According to Maldivian, the aircraft interior was “modified to a three class configuration: 14 business, 24 premium and 114 economy class seats and was installed with an in-flight entertainment system.”

“Training, maintenance and operation procedures needed to be adapted to the specific characteristics of the A320, while ensuring an efficient and effective implementation schedule that will facilitate safe, effective, and sustained operations,” reads a press statement by the carrier.

The aircraft was ferried from Toulouse, France to Maldives via Doha.

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State institutions blame Finance Ministry for unpaid electricity bills

Senior officials of state institutions summoned to parliament’s Government Oversight Committee on Tuesday night blamed the Finance Ministry for unpaid electricity bills to the State Electricity Company (STELCO).

STELCO Chief Technical Officer Dr Mohamed Zaid told the committee that local councils informed STELCO that funds allocated in their annual budgets were only enough to pay electricity bills for two or three months.

Zaid said discussions with the government have been ongoing since STELCO’s board made a decision to disconnect electricity from state institutions with large overdue bills.

The company was owed MVR 174 million (US$11.3 million) from various state institutions, he said.

While 78 percent of STELCO’s expenditure was on diesel, Dr Zaid revealed that the company owed MVR 132 million (US$8.6 million) for oil purchased on credit, including MVR 34 million (US$2.2 million) for oil bills currently overdue.

Among the institutions with the largest outstanding bills, the Male’ Health Corporation (MHC), which operates the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), owes STELCO MVR 31 million (US$2 million) for 20 months of unpaid bills while the Maldives Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) owes MVR 7.1 million (US$460,000) for the past five months.

Speaking at the committee, Male’ City Councillor Aimon Ismail said the Finance Ministry did not provide MVR 6.74 million (US$437,094) requested by the council for electricity costs in 2012. The Male’ City Council is responsible for paying electricity bills for mosques, public parks and street lights in the capital.

Meanwhile, newspaper Haveeru reported yesterday (Wednesday) that parliament’s Finance Committee decided to give the Finance Ministry a week to settle MBC’s outstanding bills in addition to asking the Auditor General’s Office to conduct a special performance audit of the state broadcaster.

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Majlis committee approves secret ballot for no-confidence votes

Parliament’s General Affairs Committee last week approved an amendment to the rules of procedure to conduct no-confidence motions through secret ballot.

The amendment was proposed by Maldivian Democratic Democratic (MDP) MP Mohamed Shifaz after a similar amendment was withdrawn by Independent MP Ahmed Amir.

The MDP-majority committee approved the amendment with four votes in favour and none against, committee chair and Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP for mid-Henveiru Ali Azim told local media. Only five MPs reportedly attended the committee meeting last week.

The amendment to parliament’s standing orders or rules of procedure would have to be approved in a vote at the Majlis floor to become official.

The MDP has submitted no-confidence motions against both Home Minister Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed and President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik.

While a minister can be removed from his post through a simple majority of the 77 MPs in parliament, a two-thirds majority or 52 votes would be needed to impeach a sitting president.

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MIRA files cases at Civil Court to enforce judgments over unpaid rent, fines

The Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) has filed a case at the Civil Court seeking US$145,291.31 as unpaid fines levied for non-payment of lease rent for Alif Alif Maaga.

In a press release on Wednesday, MIRA explained that the case was filed to enforce a Civil Court judgment on September 30, which ordered Ellaidhoo Investments Pvt Ltd to settle the fine within 14 days. However, as a result of non-payment, the resort company owes MIRA US$145,291.31 as of October 21.

The MIRA press release noted that the fine would increase until the full payment is made.

MIRA further revealed that Ellaidhoo Investments on October 16 settled US$19,274 as unpaid lease rent for Alif Alif Ellaidhoo in accordance with a previous Civil Court judgment. As a result, MIRA was in the process of withdrawing a case filed on June 4 at the Civil Court to enforce the judgment.

MIRA also filed a case at the Civil Court last week against Alliance Management Services Company Pvt Ltd over an unpaid fine of MVR1.5 million (US$97,276) imposed for late payment of tourism tax for M.S. Costa Romantica.

In its judgment on July 17, the Civil Court ordered Alliance Management Services Company Pvt Ltd to pay a fine of MVR 1,000 (US$64) for each of the 1500 beds on the cruise liner, M.S. Costa Romantica. The court had also ordered Alliance Management Services Pvt Ltd to settle the full amount of MVR 1,500,000 within two months.

Meanwhile, on October 14, MIRA filed  a case against Freesia Maldives Pvt Ltd at the Civil Court to claim the rent of ‘Galolhu Boalha Dhandu [Galholhu Stadium] 6 Number Fihaara [Shop]’ and the fine imposed for late payment of rent.

The case aganst Freesia involves MVR 352,862.90 (US$22,883) as unpaid rent and MVR 154,374.94 (US$10,011) as the fine imposed for non-payment of rent  from May 19, 2010 to October 31, 2010.

Freesia Maldives Pvt Ltd owes a total of MVR 507,234.84 (US$32,894) to the state.

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Majlis committee votes to change party registration and funding requirements

The parliament’s Independent Institutions Committee has voted to change the requirements concerning registration and state funding for political parties, according to the committee’s chair and Independent MP for Kulhudhufushi South Mohamed ‘Kutti’ Nasheed.

Writing in his personal blog (Dhivehi), MP Nasheed revealed that “a clear majority” of the committee voted in favour of requiring parties to gain 5000 members before it can be officially registered, and 10,000 members before becoming eligible for state funds. The current requirement is 3000 members for both under the current regulations governing political parties.

The requirements were stipulated in the draft legislation on political parties currently being reviewed by the committee.

Nasheed expressed confidence that the committee’s decision would not be overturned on the Majlis floor when the bill is put up for a vote.

“When the law is passed, the current registered parties with less than 5,000 members would be given a six month period to reach the figure. If a party fails to reach that figure by the end of the period, the particular party would be dissolved,” Nasheed explained.

The changes would currently impact upon President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s own Guamee Ittihad Party (GIP) which has only 2,538 members, as well the Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) with 2,199 members.

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Bill submitted to ban import of pork and alcohol

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Nazim Rashad has submitted a bill to the Majlis calling for the prohibition of pork and alcohol imports to the country.

When presenting the bill, Nazim argued that the import of these products violates article 10(b) of the constitution which states that “no law contrary to any tenet of Islam shall be enacted in the Maldives.”

“We often hear rumours that people have alcohol at home in their fridge, available any time. We’ve heard that kids take alcohol to school to drink during their break. The issue is more serious than we think, it should not be ignored,” Nazim told the house.

Consumption of intoxicants or pork products are prohibited under Islamic law, although these products are available to foreign tourists in the country’s resorts.

When in charge, the MDP government announced it was considering banning pork and alcohol product in response to the December 23 coalition‘s campaign to protect Islam.

After being asked in January for a consultative opinion over whether the Maldives could import pork and alcohol without violating the nation’s Shariah-based constitution, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected the case on the grounds that the matter did not need to be addressed at the Supreme Court level.

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IPU to send human rights fact-finding mission to Maldives

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has decided to send a human rights mission to the Maldives “to gather first-hand information” on cases involving human rights abuses and political intimidation of MPs.

The decision was adopted by the IPU during its 127th Assembly in Quebec City, Canada, upon the recommendation of its Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians.

In a press release on Wednesday following the decision to send the fact-finding mission, the IPU expressed concern with the “on-going climate of violence and confrontation in the Maldives, expressing shock at the recent killing of MP Afrasheem Ali.”

“In a resolution on the case of 19 MPs from the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), alleged victims of excessive violence, arbitrary arrests and criminal charges believed to be politically motivated, the Organisation is similarly perturbed by reports of renewed ill-treatment, detention and harassment by law enforcement officers,” the statement read.

“Maldives has been in political crisis since February when incumbent President Mohamed Nasheed was replaced by his Vice-President Mohamed Waheed. There has been growing international concern at the political intimidation and serious outbreaks of violence in the country.”

Aside from the concerned MPs in the human rights abuse cases, the press release added that the IPU mission will meet officials from the government, parliament and judiciary “at the invitation of the Maldives government.”

MDP MP for Galolhu North, Eva Abdulla, participated in the meeting of the IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians on October 21.

In March, the MDP parliamentary group submitted cases alleging police brutality against the former ruling party’s MPs to the IPU’s human rights committee at the 126th Assembly held at Kampala, Uganda.

During the same meeting, Eva was unanimously elected as a member of the IPU’s Committee of Women Parliamentarians.

MDP Chairperson 'Reeko' Moosa Manik in intensive care.

The cases concerned targeted police brutality against MDP MPs on February 7 and 8, in particular on the latter date during a heavy-handed police crackdown on an MDP protest march that left scores injured and hospitalised, including former MDP parliamentary group leader and Hulhu-Henveiru MP ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik and Maafanu South MP Ibrahim Rasheed ‘Bonda’.

Three classified reports by the IPU concerning police brutality against MDP MPs have been shared with parliament and the executive since the transfer of presidential power on February 7, the party revealed this week.

No charges have been pressed to date against police officers of the Special Operations (SO) unit caught on camera beating civilians and MDP MPs.

The IPU is a global organisation of parliaments, established in 1889. It works to foster coordination and exchange between representative institutions across the globe. The IPU also offers technical support to affiliated nations. The Maldives has been a member of the organisation since 2005.

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Police seek FBI, Singaporean police assistance to analyse evidence in MP Afrasheem homicide case

The Maldives Police Service (MPS) is seeking assistance from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Singaporean police to analyse about 200 items collected as evidence during the ongoing investigation into the brutal murder of MP Dr Afrasheem Ali, Superintendent of Police Mohamed Riyaz said at a press briefing on Wednesday.

Superintendent Riyaz said that the murder of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) MP and moderate religious scholar on October 2 was premeditated and meticulously “planned in advance”, adding that the case was unique and “unprecedented” in the Maldives.

Police have questioned everyone who spoke to the Raa Ungoofaru MP on the night of October 1 after his final appearance on state broadcaster Television Maldives (TVM), Inspector Riyaz said. Dr Afrasheem reportedly left the TVM studios around 11pm on October 1.

Evidence gathered so far included recordings of phone conversations, forensic samples and over 300 hours of CCTV footage, Riyaz continued, which were being analysed at the police forensic laboratory with the help of foreign experts.

CCTV footage showed the MP driving his car on his way home, Riyaz revealed. He added that two experts from the FBI were in the Maldives to assist the police investigation.

Addressing complaints over the lack of information made public and the delay in concluding the case, Riyaz said police wanted to conduct a full and thorough investigation instead of “rushing the investigation.”

“Our aim to carry out a thorough investigation and bring everyone involved in this heinous crime to face justice. We are working patiently towards that goal. We assure the media and the public that the police will patiently investigate the case and reveal information in due course,” he said.

Full details of the case would be made public upon conclusion of the investigation, the police superintendent added.

Asked if Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) activist Mariyam Naifa – one of six suspects arrested in the case – was released by the Criminal Court due to lack of evidence, Riyaz explained that as a rule the court released suspects in cases where it deems the police investigation could proceed without keeping the suspect in custody.

Five suspects in the homicide case currently remain in detention. Riyaz meanwhile added that police could only reveal information at this stage to an extent that would not compromise or hinder the ongoing investigation.

Meanwhile, in a separate briefing on Wednesday, Head of Central Operations Command, Assistant Commissioner of Police Abdulla Saudhi revealed that police were providing 24-hour security to 81 individuals using 170 police personnel.

Saudhi noted that police were constitutionally obliged to provide security to MPs and members of the judiciary, adding that police began providing round the clock security following the brutal murder of MP Afrasheem while security measures for some individuals were increased based on assessed threat levels.

Noting that police have increased patrolling of streets, the assistant commissioner revealed that officers on patrol have questioned 2,930 individuals in the past few weeks and prepared their profiles.

Saudhi praised the government’s decision to revoke licenses of businesses to operate 24-hours and said that the move was producing results in terms of the number of people out on the streets after midnight.

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