Category: Politics

Criminal Court ignores Supreme Court order to begin trials

The Criminal Court has today refused to accept cases sent to the court by the Prosecutor General’s Office despite the Supreme Court’s insistence that the court start accepting cases.

A media official from the court has told online newspaper CNM that the Supreme Court’s order stated that cases must be accepted according to the regulations, but that cases accepting cases in the absence of a Prosecutor General would violate court regulations.

The paper reported that the court had received the Supreme Court order.

Speaking to Minivan News Deputy Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem said he had sent a letter informing the Supreme Court of the Criminal Court’s actions.

‘’Following the Supreme Court order, I was expecting the court to resume accepting cases as usual to establish justice,’’ he said.

Shameem also said that if the Criminal Court was accusing the PG’s Office of violating a regulation, then the court must specify the article and name of the regulation.

“There is no such regulation,’’ he said. “I have not seen a regulation that says so.’’

He said that 30 cases were sent to the Criminal Court today, and all were rejected.

“There are serious cases in there such as the recent incident where the wife of an MP was stabbed,’’ Shameem said, adding that there were over 400 cases pending in the PG’s Office to be sent to the Criminal Court.

On November 25, former PG Ahmed Muiz submitted his resignation, shortly before parliament was set to debate a no-confidence motion against him.

On January 8, the Criminal Court decided not to accept any cases submitted by the PG’s Office and to halt all existing cases because the position of PG has been vacant for over 30 days

On December 10, President Abdulla Yameen proposed his nephew Maumoon Hameed for the post of Prosecutor General and submitted the name to the parliament for the MPs to approve.

The issue was sent to parliament’s independent commissions committee, with the committee decided to seek public opinion before sending Hameed’s name to the parliament floor for voting.

However, the parliament is now on recess and will not re-commence work until March.

On January 9, the Supreme Court had ordered the Criminal Court to continue pending trials in the court.

Article 4(a) (4) of the Contempt of Court regulation states that willful failure to obey an order of the court or a court verdict will be considered as contempt of court.

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MDP will empower island councils, says Nasheed

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) MPs will seek to amend the Decentralisation Act to empower local councils, former President Mohamed Nasheed has said.

Speaking at campaign events in Malé last night, Nasheed said the party’s aim was to award a nearby uninhabited island to each island council as a source of income.

“We want each council to conduct business transactions using the island [to generate income] for establishing sewerage and water systems, build roads or even construct a harbour or do work needed for the school – we want to find a way for you to undertake these efforts on your own,” he said.

Under the existing system of governance, Nasheed contended that the central government could not establish “even two sanitation systems” this year due to financial constraints and the current state of the economy.

Nasheed observed that sewerage, water,and electricity has been established in over 100 resort islands.

The MDP’s policy was facilitating guest house or mid-market tourism in inhabited islands in order to make infrastructure projects economically feasible, Nasheed explained.

Nasheed made the remarks at jagaha (campaign hub) opening ceremonies in the Henveiru ward for the MDP’s candidates for the Eydhafushi constituency in Baa atoll, and the Isdhoo constituency in Laamu atoll.

Speaking at the opening of the campaign hub Eydhafushi candidate, Hisaan Hussain, Nasheed said the law had to be amended for islands to benefit from its natural riches.

“We have to change the decentralisation law to give powers to island councils. We have to give the Eydhafushi council the discretion and the resources to reclaim land. One aim of our party is to empower island councils, generate income for island councils, and find ways for island councils to develop their islands,” he said.

Island councils should be able to initiate infrastructure projects such as establishing sewerage systems, Nasheed added.

In his speeches last night, Nasheed urged voters to compare the MDP’s candidates for Eydhafushi and Isdhoo with their opponents in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Both Hisaan and Umar Razzaq were academically qualified and experienced in government administration and public service, Nasheed said.

Meanwhile, speaking at a function held last night to award the party’s ticket to candidates, Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) Leader Ahmed ‘Sun Travel’ Shiyam Mohamed reportedly said that voting for MDP candidates for parliament “could be a sin.”

Voters should not choose MDP candidates because of the party’s track record during its three years in government, the MP for Dhaalu Meedhoo said.

Praising the MDA’s candidates as “competent and educated,” Shiyam assured supporters that MDA MPs would not sell their votes or accept bribes.

“Bribing to obtain votes is haram. You must not do such a thing,” Shiyam said.

“Ruling a nation is like running a company. Developing a country is also putting the economy back on its feet. That is what we are working for,” the resort tycoon added.

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Teachers Association threatens strike over pay discrepancies and education sector reform

The Teachers Association of Maldives (TAM) has announced a nationwide teachers’ strike to protest against pay discrepancies and the state’s failure to improve the education sector.

President of TAM Athif Abdul Hakeem said the strike can go ahead any time, with all preemptive steps having been taken, but noted that a priority would still be given to resolve issues through dialogue.

Athif said that meetings with the education ministry had resulted only in the promise of more meetings

“So in late January (2014) we requested to arrange a meeting but there was no response. So sent another letter this month. now we are waiting to discuss our issues. our next step will depend on how that goes,” Athif said.

Pay discrepancies

TAM president said  the association’s main concern is pay discrepancies:

“We are not exactly asking for a raise here, the government can never compensate teachers for their service, that is impossible. We are only asking to be treated fairly. There already is a huge gap between teachers’ pay and the pay for less qualified persons doing less work in other institutions. And now they have increased pay for some,” he said.

Comparing teachers’ pay with that of other institutions, Athif noted that an office assistant who hasn’t completed high school working at an independent institution will earn an amount equal or more than a qualified teacher with a degree.

“Such a teacher will earn around nine thousand rufiya in that assistant director level job. An assistant director at an independent institution will earn more than sixteen thousand. In health sector a nurse with a diploma will earn even more,” he continued.

‘Edhuru Vehi’ Flats

According to TAM, the meeting with the minister in December was cut short due to “lack of time” with some of the issues not raised during the meeting later shared in a letter.

One of the issues detailed in the letter was concern over the ‘Edhuru Vehi’ teachers’ flats in Villimalé . TAM requested the eviction of 27 flats already occupied by unqualified persons and the assurance that all flats were given only to “technical staff” in the education sector.

The letter stated that three of these apartments could be reserved for school heads and senior teachers traveling to the capital.
TAM said that if the issue was not resolved, the organisation would file a case with the Anti-Corruption Commission.

Education sector reform

Other major issues raised by TAM concerned  improving the education sector and the quality of services provided. According to the association, qualified young graduates are turning away from the sector due to poor pay and working conditions.

“Teachers should focus on each and every student in a classroom, but there are 35 students to focus on within 35 minutes. To compensate for this, parents have to pay thousands for private tuition. This is not free public education,” said the TAM president.

The association has requested that the ministry of education involve teachers in discussions regarding the sector. Last week, the association released a report titled ‘Education sector in a deep pit’ – highlighting the state’s “total disregard” towards the sector.

The report stated that 60% of schools in the Maldives are run without a principal, and contrasted reduced spending on education with significant increases in areas such as the military, political posts, and independent institutions.

Teachers’ complaints

An experienced teacher from Thaa Atoll School told Minivan News today that, even though the pay is no match for the work teachers do, they don’t always complain about it.

“They are very dedicated and they work really hard to improve the results. Teachers are never free from their work. They bring books to mark at home, they take extra classes, they guide students in extracurricular activities, they are on-call 24 hours assisting students, even during weekends.”

According to the teacher, the total pay (with salary and allowances) for the most qualified teacher at the school – with a degree in social sciences and a professional degree in teaching – is approximately MVR10,500.

“For most teachers it would be around MVR9000 or less. The person in charge of cleaning up the health center takes home around MVR16000” She said.

A secondary school teacher from Laamu Mundoo complained that overtime payment for teachers has been limited to just 5 percent of their basic salary, which is an average of MVR280 per month.

“We are told that even if we work more overtime hours we will not get paid for that. But how can we be teachers and not work overtime? We need to prepare lesson plans and teaching aids, we have to assist students in extracurricular activities and mark their papers and books, we have take extra classes for students who need that. So basically we are doing volunteer work here” She said.

A teacher from Thaa Atoll Madifushi said that salaries for teacher are often delayed and that the pay for January had still not been disbursed.

“And we don’t have access to teachers text books, chemicals or other equipment in most islands here,” she added.

Other teachers noted issues of retaining senior management staff who are not receptive to changes or the use of technology and modern teaching methods. They also noted the ministry’s failure to monitor schools in islands on a regular basis.

Only as a last resort

Athif reiterated that teachers will go on strike only as a last resort. TAM is hoping for parents’ support, and will be meeting parents through Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs).

“We are currently discussing the matter within our organisation’s committees, we hope parents will stand with us in this. This is about their children’s rights, improving the education sector is a national issue. The less we spend on this sector, the more we will have to spend on prisons. But if parents don’t act, and if the government refuse to act, we will go on strike. But only as a last resort,” Athif said.

According to TAM the organisation has 1500 permanent member and an estimated 4000 Maldivian teachers across the country who will participate. Recent Civil Service Commission data shows there to be 5,676 teachers in the Maldives – 4,855 of them are locals.

“Foreign teachers work here on contract basis, so they are not involved in this officially. Even for local teachers, we are asking for their opinion. We will conduct a survey and see how many of them are with us and if they want to go on strike. It will be their decision. Even then, we will give a chance for the government to find temporary teachers to fill in during that period.” Athif said.

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Cabinet advises president to establish regulations for death penalty

The cabinet has today advised President Abdulla Yameen that there is no legal obstruction to implementing death sentences, asking him to establish regulations determining the appropriate procedure.

The cabinet noted murder to be a serious crime on a national level, calling upon the president to pursue implementation of the death sentence using lethal injection.

Meanwhile, Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) MP Ahmed Mahloof has today announced his decision not to seek a public referendum on capital punishment, giving his apologies to the public.

The decision followed the Fiqh Academy’s statement announcing that a public referendum on the death sentence was unlawful as the punishment was determined in Islamic Sharia.

Mahloof told the press today that he started the work with good intentions, but as religious scholars had said the referendum was unlawful, he no longer wanted to go ahead with it.

Mahloof held a press conference today at the PPM’s offices, telling media that he had never opposed the penalty, but rather had wanted – via the public referendum – to show how much the people were in need of it.

Mahloof said that the cabinet has the authority to enact the death sentence, and called upon it to realise that the implementation of capital punishment has to be started as soon as possible.

On February 4, Mahloof proposed conducting the referendum, suggesting that a poll could be held simultaneously with the parliamentary elections scheduled for March 22.

On the same day Islamic Minister Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed wrote on his twitter page that a public vote was not allowed on something already determined under Islamic Sharia.

Mahloof’s actions followed Home Minister Umar Naseer’s order to the Maldives Correctional Service last month to begin preparations for implementation of death sentences by lethal injection.

Amnesty International subsequenty called on the government to halt any plans to end the current moratorium on the death penalty, describing such a move as “a retrograde step and a serious setback to human rights in the country.”

President Yameen – on a state visit to Sri Lanka at the time of Naseer’s announcement – meanwhile told the press that the home minister’s order was not discussed in cabinet, and promised “broad discussions” on the issue.

In December 2012, the then-Attorney General Azima Shukoor has drafted a bill outlining how the death sentence should be executed in the Maldives, with lethal injection being identified as the state’s preferred method of capital punishment.

The last person to be judicially executed in the Maldives was Hakim Didi, who was executed by firing squad in 1953 after being found guilty of conspiracy to murder using black magic.

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Adhaalath announces seven candidates for parliament

The Adhaalath Party (AP) announced seven candidates today for constituencies contested by the ruling ‘Progressive Coalition,’ bringing the number of the religious conservative party’s parliamentary candidates to 13 in total.

The candidates announced today were Ali Zahir for the Inguraidhoo constituency, Ibrahim Ahmed for the Madduvari constituency, incumbent MP Ibrahim Muttalib for the Fares-Maathoda constituency, Abdulla Ibrahim for the Kendhikolhudhoo constituency, Hassan Rasheed for the Kudahuvadhoo constituency, and Abdulla Haleem for the Isdhoo constituency.

The party also named the Fiqh Academy Vice President Dr Mohamed Iyaz Abdul Latheef for the Hulhuhenveiru constituency. Dr Iyaz last week sparked controversy as he endorsed the practice of female genital mutilation in an online forum.

AP Spokesperson Ali Zahir said at a press briefing today that the party decided to field candidates for the seven seats as no progress had been made in “unofficial” talks with the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) on the possibility of ceding five constituencies for AP candidates.

While the AP has not given up hope of reaching a compromise with the ruling party, Zahir said the party gave tickets to seven more candidates because the deadline for submitting candidacy papers was two days away.

“When they began primaries yesterday, we felt they no longer intend to go forward with us,” he said, adding however that the PPM had “signalled” an interest in further negotiations.

Zahir noted that the PPM conducted primaries yesterday for all five of the constituency requested by the AP.

While the AP “hopes this number [of candidates] will not become higher [than 13],” Zahir said it was possible that the party’s ticket could be awarded to more candidates in the coming days.

The three parties in the governing ‘Progressive Coalition’ reached an agreement last week to allocate the 85 parliamentary constituencies among the coalition partners, with 49 seats assigned for the PPM, 28 seats for the Jumhooree Party (JP), and eight seats for the Maldives Development Alliance.

Following its exclusion from the coalition’s parliamentary election plans, the AP began discussions separately with the three parties on the possibility of allocating constituencies to its candidates.

However, negotiations with the JP ended unsuccessfully after it refused to cede the Vaikaradhoo and Makunudhoo constituencies as requested by the AP.

Last week, the AP announced that it would be fielding candidates in six constituencies contested by the JP.

In addition to the five candidates announced on Wednesday – Anara Naeem for the Makunudhoo constituency in Haa Dhaal atoll, Aishath Haleela for the Vaikaradhoo constituency, Ahmed Zahir for the Komandoo constituency, Asadhulla Shafie for the Kaashidhoo constituency, and Hisham Ahmed for the Meedhoo constituency in Addu City – the AP later announced that State Minister for Home Affairs Abdulla Mohamed was awarded the party’s ticket for the Nolhivaram constituency.

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February 9 detainees in Addu “forced to walk on smoldering coals”, says former PIC chair

Detainees arrested in Addu City after the controversial transfer of power on February 7, 2012, reported being “forced to walk on smoldering coals,” former Police Integrity Commission (PIC) chair Shahindha Ismail has said.

Police stations and courthouses were set ablaze in Addu after a brutal police crackdown on opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) protesters in Malé.

Shahindha said that a four member PIC team visited the southernmost atoll from Februay 10- 13 on the request of then Commissioner of Police Abdulla Riyaz, interviewing police officers and over 75 detainees.

“Almost everyone who was arrested said they were taken to the Gan Police station. Police officers took them through the burnt down buildings and accused them of arson. They said were pushed onto the coals and forced to walk over smoldering coals. We saw burns on various parts of their bodies. They also said they were tortured and pepper-sprayed. Some of the detainees said the police had threatened to burn them and their houses,” Shahindha told Minivan News.

Shahindha has called on the PIC to expedite investigations and expressed concern over “intentional negligence” on the part of both the PIC and People’s Majlis.

Meanwhile, police officers in Addu City said they had not received any instructions or help from their superiors, and had to sleep on the street after protesters burnt down their accommodation block along with most of their personal belongings.

“The police officers we spoke to were very traumatised and angry. They had no clothes, they were sleeping on the street. They did not even have toothbrushes, and were obviously not fit to do any policing,” she said.

In instances where a complaint is not filed at the commission, a majority of the PIC has to agree to launch an investigation. Shahindha said she had completed a report on the Addu City findings and asked the commission to investigate. But the PIC had not reached a decision on the issue when she had left the commission in October 2012.

New PIC chair Abdulla Waheed was not responding at the time of press.

“I have informed the People’s Majlis independent commission oversight committee on multiple occasions of the existence of the report. An Addu MP is on the committee. While the PIC must investigate such serious allegations, the Majlis has a responsibility to ensure the PIC does its job,” Shahindha said.

Torture

Arson in Addu City destroyed the police stations in the Hithadhoo and Gan districts, and the police accommodation block and training center in the Hithadhoo district.

On February 9, police officers arrested over 85 people from their houses, cafes and from boats on the sea. Detainees said police officers had relied on information provided by certain members of the public and had been quite arbitrary in who they arrested.

According to Shahindha, some detainees told the PIC team the police had handcuffed them and thrown them into a military truck. Afterwards, the police sat on them and beat them with batons.

With police facilities destroyed in the fire, detainees were not given access to sanitary facilities and were forced to sleep on the ground. They reported not being given the right to appoint a lawyer and said they were not brought in front of a judge to extend detention.

“In one instance, there was one man who had a medical condition and he had asked to see a doctor. He said that four police officers took him and two other men in the police van. But instead of taking them to see the doctor, the police officers drove around and parked the van in the sun,” she said.

“The detainees said their hands were cuffed to the back and that it was very hot inside the van. They said they became very thirsty in the heat. After an hour, they were taken to the burnt remains of the police station and the police officers threw ash over them. We saw remains of ash in the pocket of one of the detainees.”

An Amnesty International report in February 2012 alleged the Maldivian National Defense Forces (MNDF) attacked a group of peaceful female protesters in Addu during the unrest.

“We were left for dead”

The torching of the police buildings destroyed many police officers personal belongings including motorcycles, phone, laptops and clothes. What was not burnt was looted, officers told the PIC.

When protesters in Addu City confronted the police, they had no tear gas to control the crowd and did not have sufficient armor or shields.  They could not reach their superiors and did not receive any instructions or help, Shahindha said.

“One officer told me ‘we were left for dead there’ ”, she said.

“The PIC conducted an initial assessment on state funds. There is a report on all of these findings. The PIC must investigate and the People’s Majlis must oversee the PIC.”

“Police officers who were responsible for the torture must be investigated and prosecuted, and their superiors must be investigated for negligence and failure to provide protection to the police,” she said.

In August 2012, the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) recommended that the police, PIC, and MNDF should investigate the failure to contain unrest in Addu and take legal action against security service personnel who were deemed negligent or responsible for the inaction.

The police and PIC should also “immediately investigate” allegations of torture in custody and inhumane treatment of detainees from Addu City and take action against the responsible police officers, the HRCM recommended.

In addition, the commission stated that legal action should be taken against police officers who were negligent in providing medical treatment to detainees as well as against officers who “violated the dignity of private households and infringed upon the rights of residents” during the arrest of suspects from their homes.

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Preliminary PPM primary results roll in

The ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) has announced preliminary results for eight constituencies in Malé in ongoing primaries to determine candidates for the People’s Majlis election.

The governing coalition had allocated 49 out of 85 seats for the PPM. Candidates in 13 constituencies won the party ticket by default, and an additional five candidates were awarded the ticket after their contenders failed to gain more than 75 percent in the vetting process.

The PPM is to hold primaries for the remaining six constituencies today.

In Malé, state owned Maldives Broadcasting Corporation’s (MBC) reporter that Aishath Liza won the ticker for the Medhuhenveiru constituency. Film producer and writer Fathimath Nahla defeated footballer Ali Umar to win the ticket for Machangoalhi Uthuru.

TV presenter Aminath Namza lost the Galholhu Uthuru constituency to Maheel Ali Jaleel.

Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Ahmed Rifau ‘Bochey’ won the Maafannu Dhekunu ticket against footballer Shah Ismail.

Asma Rasheed won the Maafannu Medhu constituency against Deputy Home Minister Mohamed Hanim – Asma is the mother of Minister of Presidential Affairs Mohamed Hussein Shareef.

Former goalkeeper of VB Sports Club Mohamed Sinan won the Maafannu Hulhangu ticket, while Hassan Ziyath won the Hulhuhenveiru ticket. Abdulla Shinan won the Machangoalhi Dhekunu primary.

The PPM is yet to announce results for 17 constituencies, but results circulating on social media indicate incumbent MP for Thimarafushi constituency Mohamed Shareef successfully defended the party ticket.

However, MP Mohamed Rasheed (Matrix Mode) who recently defected from the opposition  to the PPM appears to have lost the Addu City Hithadhoomedhu ticket to former MP ‘Hiyalee’ Mohamed Rasheed.

In southern Addu city, Ali Ibrahim won the Hithadhoo Uthuru ticket and Mohamed Shahid won the Hulhudhoo ticket. Ali Ibrahim won the ticket for Hithadhoo Uthuru.

The Fuvahmulah Atoll Council President Ali Fazad won the Fuvahmulahmedhu ticket.

PPM lawyer Mohamed Waheed won the ticket for the Kaafu Atoll Thulusdhoo constituency against Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Naif Shaukath.

Mohamed Latheef won the Gaaf Dhaal Atoll Faresmathoda constituency against Deputy Home Minister Ahmed Siddiq. Saud Hussein won the Gaaf Alif Atoll Villingili ticket and Abdulla Mohamed won the Gaaf Dhaal Madaveli primary.

Ahmed Thoriq won the Felidhoo ticket while Jameel Usman won the Gemanafushi ticket. Abdulla Nazim won the Hinnavaru ticket and Jaufar Dawood won the Raa Atoll Ungoofaaru ticket.

The JP has assigned candidates for all 28 seats without primaries. All eight incumbent MPs as well as former Commissioner of Police Abdulla Riyaz have received the party ticket.

The MDA held primaries in late January for two of the nine constituencies reserved for the party. The party ticket was awarded to two incumbent MPs and a further two candidates won the ticket by default.

The religious conservative Adhaalath Party has also announced it will field five candidates in constituencies reserved for the JP.

The AP has condemned the coalition’s decision to exclude the party from the constituency allocation.

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Voting ongoing in PPM primaries

The ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) has begun primaries for 25 parliamentary constituencies today.

Voting is proceeding smoothly in Malé at Dharubaaruge, Thajuddeen School, Malé City Hall and the PPM’s ally Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) party offices, PPM Secretary General Mohamed Zuhair said.

Over 2,700 members had registered to vote in Malé, Zuhair said, adding that the only complaints the party had received so far related to registration.

Parties in the ruling coalition allocated 49 of the 85 People’s Majlis seats to the PPM, 28 seats to the Jumhooree Party (JP) and nine seats to the MDA.

The party ticket was initially awarded to 13 candidates due to a lack of contestants. The 13 included eight incumbent MPs.

Over 150 candidates applied to contest the remaining 36 constituencies. But only 92 candidates were chosen for the primaries.

Applicants were graded on a six point criteria that included the extent to which candidates uphold party ideology, the length and type of service to the party, experience in parliament and participation in the presidential campaign.

Only candidates who received over 75 points were allowed to contest.

Five candidates – including four incumbent MPs – were awarded the party ticket on Friday after their competitors failed to meet the 75 percent threshold.

The PPM said it will hold primaries for the remaining six constituencies tomorrow.

Vilimaafannu MP Ahmed Nihan who won the party ticket by default said some members had complained of the party leadership favoring one candidate over the other.

“Holding primaries is not easy. For any party. But I do not expect any major issues,” he said.

Meanwhile, local media have reported conflict has emerged between the PPM and MDA over the Gahdhoo constituency. The seat was initially allocated to the MDA, but the party decided not to field a candidate and to instead back incumbent MP Zahir Adam.

Zahir was recently suspended from opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) after he violated a three-line whip and voted for President Abdulla Yameen’s cabinet in December.

Following MDA’s decision not to contest the Gahdhoo constituency, PPM called for applicants for primaries. According to local media, the MDA has ordered the PPM to retract the announcement.

Polls will close at 10:00pm tonight.

Applications must be submitted to the Elections Commission by February 11. Parliamentary elections are set for March 22.

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Supreme Court orders Majlis to expedite PG appointment

The Supreme Court issued an order Thursday night instructing “all relevant state institutions” to expedite the appointment of a new Prosecutor General (PG).

The apex court order (Dhivehi) noted that the constitution did not envision the post remaining vacant and stipulates that it must be filled within 30 days of a vacancy.

Referring to the “principle of necessity” and the importance of the criminal justice system continuing to function to ensure rule of law, the Supreme Court also ordered trial courts to accept and proceed with cases submitted by the Prosecutor General’s office.

Following the lapse of the 30-day period for the parliament to appoint a replacement for former PG Ahmed Muiz, the Criminal Court decided to halt all ongoing cases pending the appointment.

Muiz submitted his resignation on November 25 last year, shortly before parliament was set to debate a no-confidence motion against him.

In late January, Deputy PG Hussain Shameem wrote to the Supreme Court seeking its assistance in resolving the dispute.

Shameem told Minivan News at the time that there were more than 150 cases at the office that needed to be filed at the Criminal Court, including cases of suspects held in pre-trial detention.

“So what do they do now, it would not be fair to keep them in there until the parliament comes back to work from recess after three months and appoint a new PG,’’ Shameem said.

On December 10, President Abdulla Yameen nominated his nephew Maumoon Hameed to the post of Prosecutor General.

The nominee was forwarded to parliament’s Independent Institutions Committee for review.

The committee’s chair, MP Ahmed Sameer – who recently defected from the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party to the government-aligned Jumhooree Party – told newspaper Haveeru shortly after the Supreme Court issued its order that the vetting process was stalled due to lack of cooperation from political parties.

While a committee meeting scheduled to take place during the ongoing recess to interview the nominee was canceled upon request by pro-government MPs, a second attempt to hold the meeting was unsuccessful because MDP MPs opposed it.

“I am ready to hold the meeting even tonight if they request it,” the MP for Haa Alif Dhidhoo was quoted as saying.

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