President’s Office calls for applications for ACC

The President’s Office is calling for new applications for the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC).

The application period opened on August 5 and will run until 3pm on Monday, August 11.

The first independent ACC’s term is to expire this year.

Applicants must be over 25 years of age, must not hold political party membership, a political position, or a civil service position, must not have committed a hadd offense in the past five years, and must not have committed any act of corruption.

If potential applicants have been convicted of another criminal offense, a period of five years must have lapsed since the end of the sentence or their pardoning.

The president will vet applicants and submit nominations to the People’s Majlis for approval.

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Doctor for every family programme begins in Nilandhoo

President Abdulla Yameen’s ‘Doctor for every family’ programme began in Faafu Atoll Nilandhoo Island on August 4.

Faafu Atoll Hospital Manager Ahmed Nazim told local media that two doctors have begun home visits are to cover at least 10 households every day.

Doctors are expected to assess each member of the household and provide preventive care.

Nilandhoo – the capital of Faafu Atoll in central Maldives – is home to an estimated 2000 people.

According to Nazim, a medical officer, a nurse, a translator, and a community health officer will accompany doctors during home visits.

The visits will help control any disease outbreaks and facilitate a healthier environment on the island, Nazim said.

The government has announced it will assign one doctor for each population of 2,500. So far, the programme is ongoing only in Malé’s suburb Villimalé.

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PPM MPs to hold secret vote on health minister reappointment

MPs of the ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) on Wednesday decided to hold a secret vote to determine the party’s parliamentary group’s stand on reappointing Dr Mariyam Shakeela as health minister.

Shakeela is up for Majlis approval for a second time after President Abdulla Yameen modified her initial portfolio as Minister of Health and Gender.

The gender department was transferred on July 1 to the new Ministry of Law and Gender to be headed by Attorney General Mohamed Anil.

According to local media, 21 of the 24 PPM MPs present at a parliamentary group meeting decided on a secret ballot following a dispute between MPs over reappointing Shakeela.

The vote will be held at a PPM parliamentary group meeting on Monday at 12:30pm.

In response, Shakeela told the press she has no issue with failing to gain the required votes if MPs do not see her work in strengthening the health sector.

“What can I say? Every day, there is a lot of work underway at this ministry [to strengthen the health sector]. If [MPs] do not see this effort, then I have no problem if they don’t vote,” she told reporters on Wednesday.

Local news agency Haveeru has claimed 21 out of 35 MPs present at a meeting in late July voted against approving Shakeela for the position.  MPs are reportedly dissatisfied with Shakeela’s performance in the past eight months.

The Health Ministry has been under fire following a series of protests over regional health care services and health mishaps in Malé.

The state owned Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) – long criticised for lack of qualified doctors, adequate medical facilities, and medicine – transfused HIV positive blood to a patient due to an alleged technical error.

In June, councilors of southern Fuvahmulah Island called for Shakeela’s resignation after a case of stillbirth, an interrupted caesarean, and the death of a soldier on the island. A few weeks later, over 300 protestors demonstrated in front of northern Kulhudhuffushi Island over deteriorating conditions at the regional hospital on the island.

Shakeela was first appointed to the cabinet by former President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan in May 2012. At the time, she held the Environment and Energy portfolio. President Abdulla Yameen reappointed Shakeela to the cabinet in November 2013 with the health portfolio.

The former 77-member Majlis approved Shakeela to the position with 43 votes in favor.

PPM’s parliamentary group leader Ahmed Nihan was not responding at the time of press.

The ruling party holds a majority in the People’s Majlis with 43 of the 85-member house. PPM’s ally the Maldives Development Alliance controls an additional five seats.

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Koodoo Fisheries raises fish purchase prices

State owned Koodoo Fisheries has announced an increase in the price of fish, with the price of chilled fish – rising by MVR3,5 per kilo.

The price of un-chilled fish weighing between 0.5 and 1.5kilos has also increased by MVR2.5, the company told local media yesterday. Prices were also increased last month.

Koodoo – which buys fish from private fishermen across the country – said that it purchases fish below 1.5kg in order to increase fishermen’s revenue during low season, in spite of fetching a small price on the global market for them.

“The style of fishing we have adopted in Maldives is the most sustainable style of fishing to be adopted anywhere in the world. Therefore, decreasing the fishing of small sized fish and leaving the fish so they may grow larger in size will strengthen our sustainable fishing system,” read the Kooddoo press release.

Famed for its sustainable pole and line fishing methods, the Maldives announced earlier this year plans to teach long line methods to young fishermen in order to prevent encroachment on the country’s territorial waters.

Minister of Fisheries and Agricultire Dr Mohamed Shainee has also noted that such training would enable larger fish to be caught, and would reduce the industry’s vulnerability to external shocks in the global market.

The annual fish catch in the Maldives declined from approximately 185,000 tonnes of fish caught in 2006 to about 70,000 tonnes in 2011.

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President releases four Indian prisoners

President Abdulla Yameen has used executive powers to release four Indian prisoners serving sentences in the Maldives.

President’s Office Spokesman Ibrahim Muaz Ali told local media that the three men and one woman currently detained would be deported upon release. The nature of their offences was not revealed.

“We have an agreement for exchange of prisoners between our two countries. The laws needed to enforce this agreement haven’t yet been completed. Therefore, this decision was taken with the power bestowed upon the president through Article 115 of the Constitution,” Muaz told Haveeru.

He said that the move was intended to strengthen bilateral ties as well as celebrating the recent election of Narendra Modi. The close ties between the two countries will be marked with a 2km friendship walk, starting from the artificial beach at 4pm tomorrow (August 8).

President Yameen also used his presidential prerogative to grant clemency to 169 Maldivian convicts in April.

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Airport at standstill for one hour after aircraft grounded

The Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) came to a standstill yesterday (August 6) after a Cathay Pacific aircraft was unexpectedly grounded.

The runway had to be closed down for about an hour from 9pm because of a hydraulics problem on the plane. Hydraulic fluid consequently leaked onto the runway, causing numerous delays and disruptions, reported local media Haveeru.

According to Haveeru, one Emirates Flight which was scheduled to land had to be diverted elsewhere. Other flights delayed due to the incident include Malaysian Airways, Singapore Flights, and a number of domestic flights.

An official from INIA told Haveeru, “The runway has been cleared and is now operational. The delay took about one hour. Operations are now turning back to normal,” he said.

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Nasheed pays courtesy call on BJP leader

Former President Mohamed Nasheed paid a courtesy call to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Leader Vijay Jolly in New Delhi yesterday (August 6), reports One India News.

“The rise of radical Muslim fundamentalism in Maldives, its serious implications on peace and security in our region, the involvement of Maldivian militants in the Mumbai terror attack of Nov 26, 2008, killing 164 people and wounding 308 civilians, and the Maldivian military trained ‘dropouts’ found fighting in Syria for ISIS were discussed at length,” read a statement from Jolly’s office.

Former Foreign Minister Ahmed Naseem was also present at the 45-minute meeting, according to the BJP statement .

Nasheed, the acting president of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), reportedly praised Prime Minister Narenda Modi and expressed admiration for his style of governance.

The leader of the Maldivian opposition also conveyed greetings to BJP’s newly-elected President Amit Shah.

The statement added that an agreement was reached to establish a party-to-party relationship between the BJP and the MDP.

Speaking at an MDP rally in June, Nasheed had said that the “biggest relief” the Indian government could offer the Maldives over compensation owed to Indian infrastructure giant GMR for the premature termination of its airport development deal was assistance in changing the government.

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JSC demotes High Court Chief Judge Shareef to Juvenile Court

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has transferred High Court Chief Judge Ahmed Shareef to the Juvenile Court as a disciplinary measure more than one year and two months after he was indefinitely suspended.

The judicial watchdog revealed in a press statement yesterday (August 6) that Shareef was found guilty of ethical misconduct following an investigation of a complaint filed by seven of his colleagues on the High Court bench.

The JSC did not divulge any details regarding the allegations.

However, in June 2012, the Anti-Corruption Commission was asked to investigate allegations that Chief Judge Shareef met officials of Malaysian mobile security firm Nexbis in Bangkok, Thailand while a case concerning the firm’s controversial border control project was scheduled at the High Court.

Hulhumalé magistrate court

Shareef was suspended on May 29, 2013 while he was presiding over a case filed by former President Mohamed Nasheed contesting the legitimacy of the JSC’s appointment of a three-judge panel at the Hulhumalé magistrate court.

The judges were appointed to preside over the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party presidential candidate’s trial concerning the military’s controversial detention of Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed in January 2012.

In April 2013, the High Court had suspended the trial pending a ruling on the legitimacy of the magistrate court bench.

However, the High Court case has remained stalled since Shareef’s suspension the following month – more than a year after the complaint was filed against him.

JSC Chair and Supreme Court Justice Adam Mohamed Abdulla insisted at the time that the suspension was not related to the ongoing High Court case concerning Nasheed’s trial.

The suspension came shortly after the cancellation of a hearing in the Nasheed case which was scheduled at the High Court on the same day.

After voting against suspending Shareef, public representative on the JSC Shuaib Abdul Rahman told local media that the decision was made in violation of due process and JSC procedures as a report regarding the allegations was not presented to the commission’s members.

Shareef then challenged the JSC decision at the Civil Court contending that the suspension was unlawful. The court subsequently upheld the JSC decision in October 2013.

Stalled

In addition to Nasheed’s case, a number of high-profile cases over which Shareef was presiding have remained stalled since his suspension, including an appeal by Fathmath Hana, 18, who was sentenced to death for the murder of prominent lawyer Ahmed Najeeb.

Shareef was also among the panel of judges hearing appeals from the Prosecutor General’s (PG) Office over the acquittals of President Abdulla Yameen’s brother Abdulla Algeen on corruption charges and suspected drug kingpin Mohamed Hussain Manik.

According to the Judicature Act, the chief judge of a court has the administrative authority to appoint judges to preside over cases and make changes to panels. The Supreme Court had also ruled that acting chief judges do not have the authority to make such changes.

In June, the JSC appointed Judge Abdulla Hameed to head the High Court for a period of six months.

Meanwhile, in April, Nasheed asked the High Court to expedite the case concerning the legitimacy of the magistrate court bench.

Nasheed’s lawyer Hassan Latheef told Minivan News at the time that the former president did not wish to have pending criminal charges. Nasheed had previously said he was  “prepared” to justify the reasons for the arrest of Judge Abdulla and defend the decision at court.

In June, the High Court summoned members of Nasheed’s legal team to sign statements given at previous hearings.

Two of the three judges appointed to the magistrate court to preside over Nasheed’s trial have meanwhile been transferred to other courts. Judge Shujau Usman was transferred to the Criminal Court and Judge Hussain Mazeed to the Civil Court.

Meanwhile, according to the JSC’s annual report for 2013, the commission has yet to conclude investigations or make a decision regarding 106 cases, which were pending at the end of last year, including one complaint dating back to 2008 and four complaints from 2009.

In a comprehensive report on the Maldivian judiciary released in May 2013, UN Special Rapporteur for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Gabriela Knaul, observed that a lack of transparency concerning the JSC’s proceedings “nourishes serious allegations of selectivity in the management of complaints.”

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Maldivians to take Gaza fundraising efforts to new heights

Maldivian efforts to assist the people of Palestine will culminate in an unprecedented 33 hour telethon aired across multiple participating broadcasters.

Numerous media organisation have initiated a telethon titled ‘I will also help’ to raise funds for victims of the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza. It will air from 2:30pm on Friday (August 8).

The organisers will also assist in arranging a joining of hands across the capital Malé at 5pm on Saturday, while the fundraising – with over US$350,000 already in the Help Gaza Fund – is set to grow as both state and private companies urge staff to donate wages to the fund.

All TV channels and radio stations taking part in the telethon will air the same live program with content – produced by a joint content committee – on the current situation in Gaza to be broadcast through out the programme.

Live updates of donations and details of fundraising and solidarity events organised by councils and NGOs across the country will also feature.

Solidarity

This week Maldives Customs Service and Maldives Ports Limited jointly opened a joint fund where employees of both institutions agreed to donate one day’s basic salary. Faafu Atoll Hospital has also decided to join this campaign.

In addition to one day salaries of their employees, newspaper Haveeru has decided to donate the total revenue generated in advertisement on their online and print news this Thursday (August 7). The paper hopes that this will allow people to donate by placing advertisements on the paper as well.

The state owned State Trading Organization (STO) has announced it will donate a percentage of its two major shops’ sales on on August 8 and 9, five percent from STO Home Improvement, and two percent from STO Super Mart.

STO is also coordinating with the media telethon group for the joining of hands event during which people will stand holding hands across Boduthakurufaanu Magu in Malé starting from the tsunami monument.

Ahmed ‘Hiriga’ Zahir, an organiser and President of the Maldives Journalism Association, requested everyone dresses in black for the event to show that “we are taking part in their sorrow”.

“Remember how we felt when the tsunami hit the Maldives and how we requested foreign aid? Now our brothers and sisters in a situation where they need our help. I request everyone to donate to the best of their ability for this cause,” he said.

The telethon group is also selling fifteen ‘Help Gaza’ t-shirts for MVR100,000 each. Two have already been booked – one by the STO for President Abdulla Yameen and another by Kooddoo Fisheries Maldives Limited for the first lady.4

Joining of funds

After the Adhaalath Party endorsed the telethon, both parties have agreed to join their funds, with the party’s Help Gaza Fund being pooled with the telethon collection from Friday.

The Help Gaza Fund has received over MVR5.48million (US$355,600), the party said today. Collection of funds is on halt for now and will begin again with the the telethon on Friday, explained an Adhaalath spokesperson.

The donations from the joint fund will be handed over to the Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) – chosen because they have worked with Adhaalath in previous fund raising events such as the 2010 Pakistan Relief Fund to help flood victims and the 2009 Gaza Fund.

QRCS has assured that these fund will reach the people of Gaza in the form of food and medicine through their relief efforts in area.

Meanwhile, the Maldivian Red Crescent (MRC) are also raising funds in response to an emergency appeal for US$14.7 million by the Palestine Red Crescent Society on July 14. The MRC Palestine Relief Fund was established on July 20 will continue collecting until August 15.

Funds will be raised through MRC Emergency Relief Fund bank accounts, donation boxes and door-to-door collection across the country.

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