Maamigili MP opens first private airport with personal airline Flyme

The Maldives’ first private airport opened today in Alif Dhaal atoll Maamigili with Maamigili MP Gasim Ibrahim’s own ‘Flyme’ airline beginning operations from Male.

The first commercial ‘Flyme’ flight left Male this morning with 16 tourists, Gasim, his family, and senior Villa officials on board, Haveeru reports. The airline has two aircraft with a capacity of 46 passengers each.

Maldives Association of Tourism Industries (MATI) is said to have provided support for the airport’s construction. Gasim said the airport includes private jet parking, and there are plans to use more aircraft to service Gaaf Dhaal atoll Kaadehdhoo and Seenu atoll Gan.

CEO of Ibrahim Nasir International Airport, Andrew Harrison, has expressed support for the airline.

Flyme airlines scheduled 10 flights for its opening day, however it did not disclose ticket prices.

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Dhiraagu re-registered as public limited company

Telecommunications company Dhiraagu has re-registered as a public limited company (Plc).

The company actively took the name Dhivehi Raajjeyge Gulhun Plc, however it will continue to use the brand name Dhiraagu.

Dhiraagu is one of the largest telecommunications companies in the Maldives, along with Wataniya. It is also one of the country’s most profitable companies.

On 24 August this year, the Maldivian government revealed a plan to turn over one-third of its shares in Dhiraagu to the public. The sale was expected to generate Rf 1.46 billion (US$95 million).

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Traders employees de-litter jetties 6, 7 for World Tourism Day

Traders Hotel Male’ employees welcomed World Tourism Day by cleaning jetties six and seven and surrounding areas last Tuesday, September 22.

The fifty employees who participated used brooms, gloves and bags to accomplish their mission. The team collected ten bags of litter from the streets and marine areas.

Traders Hotel said the activity “aimed to increase the awareness of the employees and local community about the importance of protecting the environment for a better quality of life. It also reinforced the hotel commitment to serve as a good steward of the environment.”

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Merciel signs 10 year contract to operate Vashafaru power facility

Merciel International (Maldives) Pvt Ltd (MI-M) has signed a 10-year contract with Vashafaru Island Council in Haa Alif Atoll to operate the island’s power facility under the government’s public-private partnership program.

Country Director of Merciel Ali Hashim and President of Vashafaru Island Council Abdulla Zahir signed the contract at a ceremony this morning.

In a statement, Merciel noted that MI-M has become the first and only private utility company in the Maldives.

“So far, utility services have been provided in the islands by the state-owned corporations or local NGOs,” the company noted.

“MI-M was awarded the power station’s operation after its proposal was selected as the best proposal submitted in response to a public Request for Proposals (RFP) announced by Vashafaru Island Council in July 2011.”

MI-M is a subsidiary of a

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Himandhoo, Fuvahmulah by-elections scheduled for November 19

The Elections Commission (EC) has announced by-elections to replace vacant council seats in Alif Alif Himandhoo and Gnaviyani Fuvahmulah for November 19 and invited potential candidates to apply before October 16.

Councillors of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Hassan Saeed from Fuvahmulah and Abdulla Jameel from Himandhoo, lost their seats after the Supreme Court ruled last week on cases contesting their eligibility to compete in the February council elections.

The Supreme Court ruled that Hassan Saeed had a decreed debt that he was not paying back in accordance with a lower court verdict while Abdulla Jameel had been convicted of theft. Both were disqualified under article 12(c) of the Local Council Elections Act.

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Fifteen suspected drug kingpins loose, President reveals

Some 15 suspected drug kingpins arrested on charges of drug trafficking are loose in society and “there’s no way to even know when they will face trial,” President Mohamed Nasheed revealed in his weekly radio address on Friday.

Speaking from Dhidhoo in Haa Alif Atoll during a tour of Thiladhunmathi, President Nasheed expressed concern with suspects in high-profile cases released from detention while they were awaiting trial.

“Since the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) can only press charges after the investigation is complete, a long period [spent on investigation] provides the opportunity to influence witnesses, change their testimony and produce false testimony,” he explained.

Among other main challenges for securing convictions, said Nasheed, “it is also a problem when scientific and other kinds of evidence has no weight due to the absence of rules or guidelines to assess evidence presented to trial and the crime is not proven in major cases.”

Moreover, he continued, suspects arrested with large amounts of cash were not required to account for the money while Criminal Court judges often issued inconsistent rulings in similar cases.

As drug-related cases are heard only by the Criminal Court in Male’, Nasheed observed that a large backlog of cases was pending and “[suspects] have the opportunity to repeat the offence until the trial date”.

He added that it was important to amend the law to allow island courts to try local drug dealers.

The Criminal Court meanwhile issued a two-page press release the day after the President’s remarks dismissing criticism of the courts as having “no legal weight” and stating that “trying to shift the blame to another every time you are faced with something is not responsible.”

The constitution assured all citizens the right to be considered innocent until proven guilty, the Criminal Court statement noted, “therefore all should believe that everyone brought before the court on suspicion of committing a crime cannot be detained and that everyone who faces criminal charges cannot be found guilty.”

The court also noted that lower court rulings, court orders and verdicts could be appealed at the High Court.

“The court does not consider the seriousness of the allegations against a person,” it reads. “The court considers the evidence presented against the person. Submitting evidence is not something the court does. What the court does is assess and weigh the evidence presented.”

The Criminal Court referred to article 49 of the constitution, which states that, “No person shall be detained in custody prior to sentencing, unless the danger of the accused absconding or not appearing at trial, the protection of the public, or potential interference with witnesses or evidence dictate otherwise. The release may be subject to conditions of bail or other assurances to appear as required by the court.”

The court also reiterated a recurring complaint that according to court records a number of suspects brought before the court had previously been sentenced to long jail terms and “no authority of the state could prove that even one of these people had been released to society on a Criminal Court order.”

Top six

Speaking to islanders of Dhevvadhoo on May 2, 2009, President Nasheed said that the identities of the top six drug dealers in the country were known to the government.

However, he added that the arrests would be viewed as politically-motivated because they included members of the opposition. Nasheed’s remarks were made a week before the parliamentary elections.

Press secretary Mohamed Zuhair told Minivan News at the time that arresting the six would effectively stop the supply of narcotics into the Maldives.

Of the six, who were responsible for “budgeting, importing and distributing” drugs, some had fled the country, he said, and Interpol had been notified.

Meanwhile, according to police statistics, the number of reported drug-related cases declined in 2010 from 2,484 in 2008 and 2,366 in 2009 to 1,618 last year. The Drug Enforcement Department (DED) investigated and forwarded 844 cases for prosecution.

However overall conviction rates were low – of the 17,854 cases closed in 2010, 3323 were sent to the PGO. Of these, 1108 were sent back and 776 ended in convictions. Only 75 convictions were recorded from cases begun in 2010.

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Supreme Court is politicised, says Ibra, threatening protests

Advisor to the President and former member of the Special Majlis constitution drafting committee, has raised the possibility of Maldivian Democratic Party-led protests against the seven Supreme Court judges after accusing the court of allowing itself to become being politicised.

‘’There is one thing we still need to get rid of. Citizens have decided who is in the executive branch, but the wishes of citizens are reflected in the courts,’’ Ibra said, speaking at an MDP rally last weekend.

Ibra claimed that in the time of former President Ibrahim Nasir the courts and the executive were separated and had no influence on one another.

‘’However, today the courts have been slowly politicised to the point where they issue press releases [on political matters],’’ he said, referring to a statement issued by the Supreme Court attacking him for criticising the institution and calling for people to stand up to the judiciary.

‘’If the courts are involved in politics, then the citizens have to go and set things right in the courts,” Ibra said at the rally.

The last time Ibra criticised the Supreme Court, the court issued a press release saying that his speech violated the constitution and principles of democracy, and that it could lead to havoc and unrest.

Ibra then sued the Supreme Court for defamation, lodging a case with the Civil Court, but it was rejected.

Speaking to Minivan News last week, Ibra said that the reaction from the Supreme Court and the Judicial Services Commission was tantamount to an admission of guilt on their part, and that ‘’they think that courts can’t be criticised, that they shouldn’t be touched. ‘’

‘’Many think that if you say something against the Supreme Court they can summon you the next day and sentence you to jail,’’ Ibra told Minivan News. ‘’People don’t know what the limitations of power are. Part of my making this case against the Supreme Court is to convince the public that you can criticise the Supreme Court and remain a free man.’’

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DRP secretary-general quit via text message

The opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) has criticised the party’s former Secretary General Mohamed Nimal for the “irresponsible” manner of his departure to join the incipient Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).

DRP Media Coordinator Ali Solih told newspaper Haveeru that Nimal was appointed to the post under an agreement signed three months ago.

“Resigning through an SMS alone will not do,” he said. “He has to hand over the tasks he was given. I believe he should have discussed with party leaders about the tasks before making a decision.”

Nimal, who contested unsuccessfully for the Maafanu-South council seat of Male’ City, was appointed secretary general of DRP on July 1 after the resignation of Abdul Rasheed Nafiz.

Nimal said he quit the DRP because he was “convinced that PPM has the capacity to win the next presidential election among all the opposition parties. I saw the determination of all the senior members involved in creating the party to win the presidential election. PPM can save the people from this government.”

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Parliament’s third session to begin this week

The third session of parliament for 2011 will begin on Monday with the presentation of three bills amending the Decentralisation Act, Civil Service Act and Public Finance Act.

Villufushi MP Riyaz Rasheed will also question Finance Minister Ahmed Inaz halting Rf 100 million (US$6.4 million) in subsidies to fishermen, and present a motion requiring the government to begin constructing a mosque with US$350,000 in aid provided by Brunei.

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