Day: February 16, 2015

IGMH HIV transfusion case sent back to PG

The Criminal Court has returned to the prosecutor general the case of the IGMH lab technician charged with responsibility for transferring HIV infected blood to a pregnant Maldivian patient.

Court officials told Sun Online that the investigation was incomplete, but that the prosecution of an Indian national – charged under Article 88 of the Penal Code – would be resubmitted after further investigation.

After the transfusion of infected blood occurred in February last year, the Indian lab technician was said to have admitted culpability in the incident.

The technician had been working at the hospital for seven years and had received an award for his performance prior to the incident.

Source: Sun Online

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PG withdraws charges against Nasheed

Charges against former President Mohamed Nasheed for the 2012 detention of Criminal Court Chief Justice Abdulla Mohamed have been withdrawn.

The Prosecutor General’s (PG) Office has withdrawn the case against both Nasheed and senior figures of his government – including the current defence minister Moosa Ali Jaleel, says media reports.

Speaking to Vnews during a protest outside the High Court hearing of former defense minister Mohamed Nazim this afternoon, Nasheed said that it was regrettable the case had dragged on so long.

Details of the decision will be revealed by the PG’s information officer, who was understood to be in the court at the time of publication. Nasheed’s legal team has said a statement will follow its own discussions with the PG.

Under the powers granted in the Prosecutor General’s Act and the Constitution, the PG has the authority to discontinue or withdraw for further review any case prior to judgement.

Nasheed and Jaleel stood accused of violating Article 81 of the Penal Code, for detaining a government employee who has not been found guilty of a crime.

Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party had suggested that the case was being expedited ahead of the introduction of the new Penal Code in April, with the potential three year sentence meaning that conviction would have ruled out a Nasheed presidential run in 2018.

The former president’s legal team had been in the process of challenging the assembly of the Hulhumalé Magistrates’ Court bench.

Abdulla Mohamed’s detention in January 2012 followed the failure of repeated attempts to investigate the judge’s conduct, with Nasheed citing grounds of national security.

The judge’s arrest by security forces led to an increase in tension on the streets of the capital, culminating in Nasheed’s resignation on February 7 after elements of the police and Maldives National Defence Force refused to obey his orders.

The Commonwealth-backed Commission of National Inquiry (CoNI) report – released in August 2012 – found that the arrest had been “unconstitutional” and “illegal”, while the PG filed charges the previous June.


Related to this story


Nasheed predicts he will soon be jailed

PG files charges against former President Nasheed over Judge Abdulla’s detention

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Division of MIFCO “mistreatment of state resources”, says Auditor General

With additional reporting by Daniel Bosley and Ismail Humaam Hamid

Splitting the Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company Limited (MIFCO) into three competing companies was  a “mistreatment of state resources”, says a report from the auditor general.

MIFCO was divided into three companies in 2010, with the introduction of Kooddoo Fisheries Maldives Limited and Felivaru Fisheries Maldives, before President Abdulla Yameen reversed the decision last year.

“Even after the split the main business of these three companies [MIFCO, Felivaru and Koodoo] was the buying and selling of fish which resulted in competition amongst each other,” the audit report read.

With regards to the financial impact of the move, the report’s figures suggest that the overall profits of the state-owned fisheries business was not significantly affected.

“After the split in 2010, MIFCO’s losses amounted to 4.1 million rufiyaa [US$265,888] in 2011 and 2012 and Felivaru Fisheries Maldives operated at a loss of 19.26 million rufiyaa [US$1.2 million],” the audit report read.

“However, Koodoo Fisheries had a profit of 88.8 million rufiyaa [US$5.7 million] in this period,” it continued.

Founded by the  state in 1993 for the purposes of buying and selling fish, MIFCO had made a net accumulated loss of MVR317.4 before the split, while all three companies were seen to have a total profit of MVR65.4 million in 2011 and 2012.

The audit report said that numerous faults had occurred in the splitting of MIFCO, citing several mistakes made by the Ministry of Finance and Treasury.

“While not providing an alternative to conduct business [Finance Ministry demanded] MIFCO pay the entire overdraft, which amounts to 70.56 million rufiyaa. The National Planning Council had planned how to divide MIFCO’s fleets amongst the three companies, but the finance ministry did not follow,” the report stated.

The dividing of physical assets between the three companies was not carried out properly, resulting in financial losses and even the breaking down of some equipment, read the report.

Auditor General Hassan Ziyaath recommended that the transfer of physical assets between companies be done according to “accounting principles”, and that a more thorough analysis of the impact on stakeholders be made before any similar decisions in the future

Ziyath concluded by saying that the restructuring of a company’s physical assets should be accompanied by a report demonstrating the potential impact on state income.

Fish exports make up the 98 percent of the Maldives’ exports, of which MIFCO is the leading exporter.

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University allowed to use Jamaaludheen building until June

The President’s Office has said students will continue to use the Jamaaludheen building until June in order to protect the interests of the students.

In a tweet posted last night, President’s Office spokesperson Ibrahim Muaz said that President Abdulla Yameen had decided to extend the deadline given to vacate the building used by the Maldives National University (MNU).

Muaz announcement came just hours after the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure announced that the building was structurally unsafe, explaining the government’s previous request that police vacate the premises.

The decision had prompted concern from the university, the student union, and the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), who suggested that the lack of an alternative building would disrupt students’ education.

Muaz told Minivan News today that there are no contradictions in the matter, as the government still believes that the building is unsafe even though the deadline has been extended.

Housing minster Dr Mohamed Muizzu yesterday shared pictures from an assessment of the building done in 2013 with the media, showing severely corroded and damaged columns in the building, which is currently used by over 1,300 university students.

“Cosmetic work has been done in the building to cover up these damages,” he said.

“It is very irresponsible of certain individuals to say that the building is safe when it clearly is not. The building is not structurally stable from an engineering perspective.”

After ministers yesterday said the university had been unresponsive to offers of alternative teaching space, the President’s Office said today that the university would be given no more chances regarding the matter.

“President Abdulla Yameen is concerned for the education of the students,” said Muaz. “This government is not one which would forcefully strip the students from the building.”

Deputy Vice-Chancellor of MNU and former Permanent Secretary of Housing Ministry Dr Mohamed Shareef had said that the university has been informed of the president’s decision and is looking into alternatives for after the deadline.

Dr Shareef refuted the government’s claims that the university has been provided with alternatives to vacate the premises.

“The government spoke about land in Hulhumalé and Gulhifalhu. However, these plans were very vague and not written down on paper,” he said.

The deputy vice -chancellor also said that the university is trying to get an independent third party to do a risk assessment of the building to determine the safety of the students.


Related to this story

Jamaaludheen building unsafe, says Housing Minister

Opposition concerned at “interference” with educational institutions

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No forensic evidence against Nazim, says legal team

Police do not have forensic evidence to support possession of dangerous weapons charges against former Defense Minister Colonel (retired) Mohamed Nazim, his legal team has claimed.

Maumoon Hameed told media last night (February 15) that the police were unable to provide any forensic evidence at Nazim’s remand hearing, despite both Nazim and his family having previously provided fingerprints and DNA samples.

“In 2013, the police spoke to the media and said that they are capable of processing 600 fingerprints per hour. What is taking them so long to process Nazim, his wife, two kids’ and their maid’s fingerprint samples?” asked Hameed.

After his arrest on February 10, Nazim was given 15 days of remand detention by the Criminal Court. Police had raided the apartment on January 18, later claiming to have found a pistol, three bullets, and an improvised explosive device.

Additionally, a pen drive was said to have been found containing evidence of an attempt to harm senior government officials, in what the police have said was a plan to overthrow the government.

Posters have since appeared around Malé City with the slogan ‘Free Nazim Now’, while several prominent politicians as well as Amnesty International have expressed concern over his sudden arrest.

“The day before yesterday the defense minister was hailed and deemed trustworthy,” said Maldivian Democratic Party Chairperson Ali Waheed speaking at a protest last week. “Now he is in a jail cell accused of crimes of a magnitude never seen before in Maldives”.

Nazim’s legal team said last night that the High Court has accepted two appeal cases filed by the legal team – one appealing Nazim’s arrest, with the second case appealing Criminal Court’s remand sentence.

The team has also announced that a defamation case had been submitted against the Commissioner of Police Hussain Waheed for telling the press on January 29 that an explosive device was found during the raid.

The High Court appeal hearing is scheduled for 1.45pm today (February 16).

The legal team had previously claimed that the items found at Nazim’s house were planted by the Police, saying that officers spent 10 minutes inside Nazim’s bedroom unsupervised before the search began. Police have called the claims “untrue” and “baseless”.

Hameed also informed the media last night that the police had not responded to requests to share evidence against Nazim in order to allow the preparation of his defense, or for the items allegedly confiscated from his house to be investigated by an independent commission.

Also speaking at yesterday’s press conference, former Police Commissioner and member of Nazim’s defence Abdulla Riyaz reiterated his belief that some officers are following unlawful orders from politicians.

“I am saying this as an individual who has served  at the institution for over 20 years, no police officers should act in an unjust manner towards any individual,” said Riyaz.

The former police commissioner also highlighted issues with the search, saying that the police had not followed due procedures – claims the police have also denied repeatedly

“When conducting high profile searches, the Police always films the search,” said Riyaz. “However we have not been provided with a video footage of the search as of yet.”

Additionally, Riyaz suggested that if the police had found an improvised explosive device at his home, the area should have been evacuated, and the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) and the fire and rescue services informed.

The MNDF yesterday said that it would begin providing security for Riyaz after an official request for protection last week.

“People are following me everywhere I go. I feel somewhat threatened. I have requested for security but MNDF are yet to grant me security,” Riyaz told Minivan News yesterday.


Related to this story

Former Defence Minister arrested on illegal weapons charge

Police accuse Nazim of plotting coup, planning to harm senior government officials

Pistol and explosive device found at Nazim’s home, says Police Commissioner

Police raid Defence Minister Nazim’s home in early hours

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Fifty bicycles donated to schools in the Atolls

Gili Lankanfushi resort has donated 50 bicycles to the Ministry of Education today.

At a ceremony held at the ministry, General Manager of Gili Lankanfushi Steven Philips said that the bicycles were donated for the use of staff and children of schools in the atolls.

The education ministry said they will give the second-hand bicycles to Haa Alif Atoll Hanimaadhoo School, Afeedudeen School in Haa Dhaalu Kulhudhufushi, Noonu Atoll Kendhikulhudhoo School, Fuvahmulaku Atoll Education Center, and Sharafudeen School in Addu City.

Development Officer at the ministry Aminath Najfa said the schools to which the bicycles would be given were selected after considering the area of land and student population.

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