Day: April 26, 2014

Home Minister to stand trial for disobedience to order

Minister of Home Affairs Umar Naseer will stand trial for disobedience to order at the Criminal Court at 10:00 am tomorrow.

Naseer is being tried for encouraging protesters to break into the military head quarters during the violent ‘twenty two days protests’ against President Mohamed Nasheed’s government in the run up to Nasheed’s ouster on 7 February 2012.

Local media and a report by Nasheed’s Environment Minister Mohamed Aslam and National Security Advisor Ameen Faisal noted remarks by Naseer is which he asked  2,000 volunteers to storm army barracks with 50 ladders, at which point “the people inside will be with us.”

“From today onward, we will turn this protest into one that achieves results,” Umar had said, in the speech which was also aired live on television. “We know how people overthrow governments. Everything needed to topple the government of this country is now complete.” he said.

After he was summoned by the police investigation into his remarks in September 2012, Naseer said that “there will be no evidence” to prove him guilty of a criminal offence.

‘’In my statement I did not mention where to place the ladders or where to climb in using the ladders.’’ Naseer said.

If convicted, Naseer faces banishment, imprisonment or house arrest not exceeding six months or a fine not exceeding MVR 150 (US$ 10).

Naseer refused to comment on the case. The case was submitted to the Criminal Court on 12 December 2013.

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Fiyori council passes resolution to protect mangrove

Gaaf Dhaal Atoll Fiyori Island Council has passed a resolution declaring the Island’s mangrove area as protected, local media ‘Sun‘ has reported.

The resolution passed at an open public meeting on Thursday said the mangrove area at the south end of t he island is being declared protected for its unique natural features. The council noted that it is a natural breeding ground for freshwater ‘Beyngu’ (Milkfish) and shrimp, in addition to being  suitable for culturing sea cucumber.

According to the council resolution, the mangrove has sustained serious damaged following a tidal wave which hit the seaward side of the island in 2012. A large area on the beach front at the edge of the mangrove cracked open, felling trees on the beach inside the mangrove.

If the island fails to seal the area, it may cause further damage, the council noted.

The Fiyori mangrove is included in the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) list of ‘environmentally sensitive areas’ – which are not yet officially protected.

Mangroves and wetlands around the country are also being damaged due to development projects. Mangroves areas on two islands, Kulhudhufushi and Farukolhu are to be reclaimed for airport development, despite criticism from environmental organizations.

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Oil exploration attracts investors at Singapore investment forum

The Maldives has garnered interest in oil exploration during an investment forum in Singapore.

Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, Dr. Mohamed Shainee, told Minivan News at least one investor will be visiting the Maldives in the coming weeks to present their company profile and discuss the project further.

Over 160 companies and nearly 200 representatives from 16 countries were present at the first overseas investor forum organised by the Maldives.

Speaking at the event on Friday, Shainee assured potential investors that there was no room to refute the presence of oil in the Maldives based on seismic testing by Royal Dutch Shell.

“Those studies were carried out 25 to 27 years ago, with limited technology capable of investigating under sea. However, now we have better technology that is more capable of more exploration,” he said.

Oil has been found in both Sri Lanka and India and therefore there is a high possibility that it will be found in Maldives too, he added.

Lying just a meter above sea level, the Maldives is among the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change impacts such as sea level rise, ocean acidification and extreme weather events.

Crude oil will diversify and stabilise the economy, President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has said. At present, the Maldives heavily relies on tourism, which supports an estimated 70 – 80 percent of its GDP.

However, some have argued that economic benefits will not outweigh the possible environmental repercussions.

“When you take up the issues of drilling, we are concerned about the oil container tanks with unrefined fuel passing through,” concluded Executive Director of local NGO Bluepeace Ali Rilwan. “We can’t afford to go into that dirty energy.”

With this in mind, Rilwan asked, “can we avoid a disaster in the Maldives? The Maldives is a tiny island and this can have a very negative impact, the tanks are a worrying thing.”

In addition to oil exploration, the government is seeking investment in establishing a port in northern Ihavandhippolhu Atoll, land reclamation and maritime seaport in Hulhumalé, expansion of the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) and the relocation and expansion of the central port to Thilafushi Island.

The projects for which the government was seeking investors were “designed to position Maldives to take advantage of its strategic location as a hub and gateway for commerce, innovation and creativity, linking rest of the globe with South Asia,” President Yameen said in his keynote address.

“To address investment climate and to facilitate mega investments with attractive incentive packages, a Special Economic Zone Bill will be tabled in the parliament soon. Additionally, the Foreign Investment Act and Companies Act are being revised to cater the ever increasing needs of the modern foreign investors,” he added.

Meanwhile, a Singaporean court is currently overseeing the arbitration process between the Maldives government and Indian infrastructure giant GMR in which the company has claimed US$ 1.4 billion for the abrupt termination of a concession agreement to develop the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA).

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GMR holds to US$1.4 billion compensation figure

GMR is sticking to the US$1.4 billion compensation claim for the abrupt termination by the Maldivian government in December 2012 of a concession agreement to develop the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA).

“The forceful takeover of the airport by Maldives government amounts to repudiation of a valid contract and therefore damages, including loss of future profit has to paid. Thus, GMR’s claim is $1.4 billion,” Indian media reported the Bangalore-based infrastructure giant as saying in a statement on Friday (April 25).

GMR noted that the Maldivian government had acknowledged for the first time that the company was owed compensation.

Prior to departing for Singapore on Thursday, President Abdulla Yameen told the press that the government would have to pay compensation to GMR upon conclusion of the arbitration process currently underway.

Asked if he was confident the outcome of the arbitration would be favourable for the Maldives, Yameen said: “The reality we have to accept is that a government with full sovereign powers made an agreement with a foreign party and leased [the airport]. This is a government, and what preceded this was a government as well. So believe we have to pay them some kind of financial compensation. “

He added that the government’s objective in the arbitration hearings was to lower the compensation amount.

If the judges on the arbitration panel accept the government’s arguments for nationalisation or expropriation, Yameen said the compensation owed to GMR could be smaller.

“We’re going to have to provide compensation in any case,” he conceded.

The US$1.4 billion sought by GMR for “wrongful termination” exceeds the annual state budget whilst the national debt is expected to rise to MVR31 billion (US$2 billion) this year.

Earlier this month, Yameen had said that the out-of-court settlement sought by GMR was too high, and that he would now await the outcome of the arbitration proceedings, which could take up to another two months.

Despite the pending arbitration decision, expansion and development of INIA was among the five mega-projects for which the government was seeking investors at the Maldives Investment Forum held in Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands yesterday.

President Yameen also met officials of the Beijing Urban Construction Group yesterday, who “expressed their interest in engaging in the infrastructure development of the [INIA],” according to the President’s Office.

Void ab initio

In December 2012, the administration of former President Dr Mohamed Waheed voided the 25-year concession agreement with the GMR-led consortium.

The US$511 million contract awarded by his predecessor former President Mohamed Nasheed – following a bidding process overseen by the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) – was the largest foreign direct investment in the country’s history.

Waheed’s government – of which President Yameen’s Progressive Party of Maldives was a coalition partner – declared the contract ‘void ab initio’ – invalid from the outset – and gave the company seven days to leave the country.

After GMR received a stay order for the eviction from the Singapore High Court, the government successfully appealed the injunction at the Singapore Supreme Court.

Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon declared that “the Maldives government has the power to do what it wants, including expropriating the airport.”

At a press conference in the wake of the airport takeover, Finance Minister Abdulla Jihad – who retained his post under the new administration – said that the Maldives would pay whatever compensation was required “however difficult” while Attorney General Azima Shukoor expressed hope that the compensation would be lower than anticipated.

A special audit conducted by the Auditor General’s Office in early 2013 found that as of October 31, 2012, GMR Male’ International Airport (GMIAL) had completed 25 percent of the refurbishments and upgrades to INIA planned for the end of 2014, and had been invoiced by its contractor for US$69 million.

“Significant progress had been made in some areas – for example, 87 percent of the material for land reclamation had been dredged,” the report (English) stated.

“In the meantime, all work on the ground on the improvement to the airport has ceased. Sensitive elements of the new structures that had been planned by [GMR] are incomplete and exposed to the weather and at risk of damage – possibly closing off the option of re-using these elements to reduce the cost of any future development of the airport,” the report concluded.

After examining the bidding process, the audit report stated that evidence to back allegations of “improper interference” during technical bidding process “is not conclusive on this point”, and deferred the matter to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), which ruled out corruption in June 2013.

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Home Minister Umar Naseer to run for presidency in 2023

Minister of Home Affairs Umar Naseer has announced he will run for the presidency in 2023 and has pledged to back President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom for re-election in 2018.

“I am not a political threat to President Yameen. I am ready to work to help President Yameen get re-elected to presidency in 2018. What I may have said before, and the competition that existed between us before is a completely different matter. That has come to an end,” he said in an interview on state broadcaster Television Maldives’ Friday variety show ‘Heyyambo.’

Naseer lost to Yameen in the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) presidential primaries in 2013 and alleged the primaries were rigged. He accused Yameen of illicit connections with gangs and the illegal drug trade and vowed to bring a “white revolution” within the party.

The PPM expelled Naseer from the party and he backed Jumhooree Party (JP) Leader Gasim Ibrahim in the 2013 presidential elections. Naseer was appointed to the cabinet when Gasim’s backing proved crucial in PPM’s second round win.

Speaking on Heyyambo, Naseer said Yameen will “have no reason to contest again” by 2023 and said he himself will run for the presidency then. The Maldives constitution limits presidential terms to two five year terms.

Naseer ran for the presidency in 2008 and won 2,472 votes.

Coalition friction

Naseer expressed confidence that he will be able to sort out any differences within the government coalition, pointing to his prior experience working with Yameen and Gasim.

Friction within the coalition became apparent with Gasim warning the PPM against betrayal in a rally on April 13.

But Naseer asserted that Yameen and Gasim are working together in the national interest.

He also dismissed competitive words exchanged between the two coalition partners in the lead up to the 2013 presidential elections as “an attempt to choose the best leader from among those sharing the same ideology”, and said personal ambition has now “taken a backseat and national interest is what drives [us] today”.

“Although we walked over each other in the race to select a leader amongst those of us who holds the same ideology, once we have come out to the actual national race we have removed our personal jerseys and donned the national jersey. Today we are playing in the national uniform,” he said.

Extradite offenders

Naseer said he will amend laws which require police to present detainees to the Criminal Court with 24 hours of arrest and spoke of plans to extradite Maldivian offenders.

Maldivian offenders will not be able “to hide in any corner of the world,” Naseer said.

“No offender should delude themselves into thinking that they can flee from the Maldives and peacefully live elsewhere. That cannot be done. The first topic of discussion that I take up with leaders, Home Ministers and police leaders of every country I travel to is that in the instance there is a runaway Maldivian offender in the country, they should arrest them immediately and turn them over to the Maldivian authorities.”

He also spoke about a recent police raid where 79 youth were arrested from the island of Anbaraa during a musical festival, where all detained were reported to have tested positive for illicit drugs.

It is permissible for Maldivians to go on picnics, play loud music and have fun, Naseer said.

“But, there cannot be the abuse of drugs or consumption of alcohol. There cannot be DJs. If these kinds of things are being done, the police will go in and stop the activities. What I am saying is, you can party, but you cannot ‘Ambaraa'”.

Referring to the controversial order he had made unto the Maldives Correctional Services to implement death penalty, Naseer asserted that he had done so only on prior discussions with the President.

The Attorney General is currently drafting regulations for implementation of the death penalty on the cabinet’s request, he said. The government would only implement the death penalty if the Supreme Court upholds the sentence, he reiterated.

Speaking on the illegal drug trade, Naseer alleged that “powerful gangs from neighbouring countries” are involved in smuggling drugs into the Maldives.

Naseer identified population dispersion as the biggest obstacle for development and called for population consolidation.

“If the desired development is to be brought about, the approximately 400,000 inhabitants of this country will have to start living on three or five islands. We cannot bring the development otherwise,” he said.

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MP Jabir in Malaysia for medical treatment

Jailed opposition MP Abdulla Jabir is seeking medical treatment in Malaysia, local media have reported.

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP was hospitalised on April 8 after suffering respiratory difficulties. He is currently serving a one year jail sentence for refusal to provide a urine sample to police.

Jabir left the Maldives at 9:15 pm on Friday night without a set return date, the Maldives Correctional Services (MCS) told Minivan News.

Doctors at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) recommended Jabir go abroad for an examination of his heart, the MCS told local media. The service is not available in the Maldives, the MCS said.

Jabir was hospitalised for two weeks and transferred back to Maafushi prison on April 22 with a device to facilitate breathing – reportedly obtained from Singapore.

At the time of hospitalisation, the MP’s wife Dhiyana Saeed said Jabir had been born with birth defects which caused a sleep disorder called sleep apnoea. The disorder is characterised by pauses in breathing or instances of shallow or infrequent breathing during sleep.

In a text to MDP parliamentary group members, Dhiyana said at the time: “The pulmonologist who saw him says his previous surgeries for severe sleep apnoea has failed and needs to be admitted.”

In an interview with VNews earlier this month, Dhiyana said doctors had informed her that Jabir’s breathing stopped four times every hour.

Jabir was sentenced to jail in February for failure to provide a urine sample for a drug test during a police raid on the island of Hondaidhoo in November 2012.

A total of 10 people were taken into police custody at the time. Officers alleged they found large amounts of drugs and alcohol upon searching the island.

Seven people, including the MDP MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor, face separate charges for refusal to provide urine, alcohol possession and cannabis possession. They include former President’s Office Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair and his wife Mariyam Faiz, the manager of Jabir’s Alidhoo resort Jadhulla Jaleel and son of former Special Envoy to the President Ibrahim Hussein Zaki, Hamdan Zaki.

All seven have accused the police of brutality during their arrest.

The Prosecutor General also charged Jabir for possessing cannabis but the Criminal Court acquitted by the MP citing insufficient evidence.

Charges of alcohol possession remain outstanding, with the last hearing of Jabir and Hamid’s joint trial being suspended due to Jabir’s hospitalisation.

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