Former police chief questioned over Dr Afrasheem murder, Raajje TV arson

Former police commissioner and opposition MP Abdulla Riyaz was summoned to the police headquarters last night over comments he had made over the murder of MP Dr Afrasheem Ali and the torching of the Raajje TV studios.

Riyaz said he was questioned about remarks made in an appearance on Raajje TV on April 20.

The MP had said he would reveal information on Dr Afrasheem’s murder in October 2012 “when the time comes” and that police had been negligent in the arson attack in October 2013 that had destroyed the opposition-aligned private broadcaster’s offices.

The Jumhooree Party (JP) MP for Thaa Kibidhoo said he was asked if he had any additional information on the two cases.

“I said any information I got at the time will be with the police,” he told reporters outside the police headquarters.

Riyaz was police chief from February 2012 until his resignation in November 2013, shortly after president Abdulla Yameen assumed office.

Police accused him of disclosing state secrets or confidential information, Riyaz said, but the specific information in question was not made clear.

Riyaz stressed that he had not revealed any sensitive information during the Raajje TV interview, adding that he had faced criticism from the public for not doing so.

Explaining what he meant by revealing information “when the time comes,” Riyaz said he will answer truthfully if he is questioned at court or the parliament’s national security committee.

Police did not take his statement as he spoke “off the record” and told interrogators he would remain silent over the allegations against him.

Riyaz said he chose to remain silent because “the government is framing politicians”.

The MP said he was afraid to drive his car without checking to see if anything has been planted, he said, claiming that attempts were being made to frame him with drugs.

Riyaz has maintained that police framed ex-defence minister Mohamed Nazim, who was sentenced to 11 years in jail in March over weapons smuggling charges after police found a pistol in his apartment in late January.

He also called on police to provide updates to the public about the investigation of Dr Afrasheem’s murder, the Raajje TV arson, and the disappearance of Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan.

The police summons for Riyaz came amid heightened political tension in the wake of a crackdown on a mass anti-government rally on Friday. Nearly 200 protesters were arrested after clashes with riot police in the largest anti-government demonstration in a decade.

Opposition leaders involved in organising the May Day protest, including senior members of the JP, have since been arrested. Riyaz is the deputy leader of the JP’s parliamentary group.

In December 2012, Riyaz had said that Dr Afrasheem’s murder was politically motivated with a local gang offered MVR4 million (US$260,000) to carry it out.

The late moderate religious scholar and Progressive Party of Maldives MP was brutally stabbed to death on October 1, 2013 in a murder that shocked the nation.

Hussain Humam, the chief suspect in the murder and the only person convicted of the crime so far, has alleged president Abdulla Yameen and tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb’s involvement in the killing.

However, Adeeb accused the opposition of orchestrating Humam’s remarks in a “character assassination” attempt. Humam had said at the first hearing of his appeal at the High Court last month that president Yameen and Adeeb “will know best” the details of the murder.

Former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom meanwhile told reporters yesterday that president Yameen should sue opposition politicians alleging his involvement in the murder for defamation and strongly condemned the insinuations.

Humam was found guilty and sentenced to death in January 2014 while a second suspect charged with Dr Afrasheem’s murder, Ali Shan, was acquitted in September last year with the court citing insufficient evidence.

Shan was implicated in Humam’s confession, but the judge said several witnesses had testified that the accused was at a restaurant at the time the murder took place.

A third suspect, Azlif Rauf, who Humam said had planned the murder, left to Turkey with six members of Malé’s Kuda Henveiru gang in January.

The Raajje TV studio was meanwhile torched and completely destroyed on October 7, 2013. Suspects arrested in connection with the arson attack have yet to face trial despite CCTV footage of the arsonists.

Reporters Without Borders at the time condemned the police for failure to defend the station despite repeated requests for protection, and the forwarding of a specific threat the previous evening.

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Chinese ambassador assures assistance for police

Chinese ambassador to the Maldives, Wang Fukang, has assured assistance from the Chinese government to the Maldives Police Service.

In a meeting on Monday night with 20 police officers selected for a 20-day training programme in China, the ambassador said several training programmes for Maldivian police officers will be arranged in China.

The present trip is the second programme carried out under the ‘seminar for police officers of the Maldives’.

The training programmes were agreed upon during Chinese president Xi Jinping’s state visit to the Maldives last year, he said, adding that the close relations between the Maldives and China is friendly and strong.

He noted that China has also provided 150 motorcycles to police.

Police commissioner Hussain Waheed meanwhile thanked the ambassador for Chinese assistance, which he said is easing police efforts to ensure public order and security.

The 20 senior officers meanwhile departed yesterday for the 20-day conference at the Yunan police officers academy, during which they will be provided information about police leadership, management, combat and command.

The police officers will also visit various police stations in China and attend information sessions.

A police team visited China last year for a similar seminar and training programme.

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Gayoom denies PPM split over Dhiggaru by-election

Former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has denied rumours that a faction within the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) is supporting independent candidate Moosa Naseer Ahmed in the upcoming Dhiggaru constituency parliamentary by-election.

Naseer, a Meemu atoll councillor and vice president of the Local Government Authority, had sought the ruling party’s ticket last month, but withdrew his candidacy ahead of the primary.

Gayoom’s eldest son, Ahmed Faris Maumoon, won the primary with a margin of 147 votes after competing against another Meemu atoll councillor.

Speaking to reporters yesterday upon his return to Malé after launching Faris’ campaign in Meemu atoll, Gayoom said he does not believe that senior PPM members encouraged Naseer to run as an independent.

Gayoom, leader of the PPM, said he enjoys strong support in Meemu atoll and that he expects to win the vacant Dhiggaru constituency parliament seat.

Gayoom said he was not aware that any member of PPM was working against Faris, adding that president Abdulla Yameen could not attend the campaign launching due to a heavy schedule.

Naseer was meanwhile expelled from the PPM on Monday by the party’s disciplinary committee.

PPM secretary general Mohamed Tholal told newspaper Haveeru that Naseer was dismissed for breaching the party’s charter by standing as an independent after the party chose its candidate through a primary.

Naseer had had told online news outlet CNM last week that he decided to contest as an independent at the behest of Dhiggaru constituents, who he said wanted a Meemu atoll or Dhiggaru native as their MP.

Naseer had represented Meemu atoll in the Special Majlis from 1983 to 1996 and served as the Meemu atoll member of the People’s Majlis from 1996 to 2000.

The by-election, triggered by a 25-year jail sentence handed down to former PPM MP Ahmed Nazim, is scheduled to take place on June 6.

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Cameraman ‘forced’ to erase footage of PG meeting judge

A cameraman of the opposition aligned Raajje TV was forced to erase footage of a meeting between prosecutor general Muhthaz Muhsin and criminal court judge Abdul Bari Yousuf at a café, the broadcasting commission has found.

The PG allegedly met Bari at the Café Layaali in Malé on March 8 while the latter was presiding over former president Mohamed Nasheed’s terrorism trial.

The pair have denied the meeting took place, and Muhsin has previously said he would resign immediately if the allegations are proven to be true.

Following an inquiry, the commission determined on Monday that the Raajje TV journalists “faced reasons forcing them to delete the footage.”

“As the commission saw that this was a situation that obstructed press freedom, the members who participated in the meeting to conclude this case decided unanimously to appeal to all parties to ensure that broadcasters and the media as a whole do not face such compulsion in order to maintain an environment where journalists can fully exercise the right guaranteed by the constitution and laws without fear,” reads the summary statement of the report prepared the commission.

The commission also investigated a complaint alleging that Raajje TV disseminated false information as PG Muhsin denied meeting the judge. The commission decided that the station did not violate the broadcasting code of content as it had sought comment from both Muhsin and Bari.

The meeting took place days before a three-judge panel sentenced ex-president Nasheed to 13 years in prison on terrorism charges. Judge Bari also presided over ex-defence minister Mohamed Nazim’s trial on weapons smuggling charges.

After Raajje TV reported the alleged meeting, the criminal court barred the station’s reporters from attending hearings. The court accused Raajje TV of “spreading lies about judges, meddling in judges personal affairs and engaging in actions that may harm judges.”

Muhsin meanwhile told Minivan News at the time that the judge was already at the café when he went there for a meal with family members.

However, Raajje TV insisted the pair were sitting at the same table and that Muhsin had walked away when the journalist started asking questions.

At the time, a Raajje TV staff told Minivan News that a group of young men led by Progressive Party of the Maldives MP Ahmed Assad forced the cameramen to delete the footage.

In 2013, the watchdog Judicial Service Commission suspended Judge Bari for over a year pending the outcome of a complaint lodged against him for alleged misconduct.

Although the commission did not reveal any details of the complaint, local media reported that a female attorney from the Prosecutor General’s Office had alleged that Bari had sexually assaulted her.

Bari was cleared of the allegations and resumed duty at Criminal Court on July 24, 2014.

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President Yameen in Pakistan for state visit

President Abdulla Yameen and first lady Fathmath Ibrahim have departed on an official state visit to Pakistan today.

“During the two-day visit, president Yameen will call on his excellency ‎Mamnoon Hussain‎ and hold one-to-one deliberations with Pakistani prime minister his excellency ‎Mohamed Nawaz Shareef, on charting the course ‎for future Maldives-‎Pakistan bilateral ties,” the president’s office said.

“President Yameen and prime ‎minister Nawaz Shareef will also lead official ‎bilateral talks between senior ‎delegations of the two countries.‎”

The president’s office said the Maldives and Pakistan will sign bilateral agreements in the areas of ‎sports, healthcare, education and combating narcotics drugs.‎

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President appoints Dr Ahmed Ziyad as Islamic minister

President Abdulla Yameen appointed Dr Ahmed Ziyad Bagir as the new minister of Islamic affairs today following the resignation of former minister Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed yesterday.

The president presented Ziyad his letter of appointment while Supreme Court Justice Adam Mohamed Abdulla administered the oath of office at a ceremony held at the president’s office this morning.

Ziyad was serving as the principal of the Arabiyya School in Malé.

Former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has meanwhile thanked Shaheem for his “valuable service to the nation” as Islamic minister. Shaheem was appointed to the cabinet in February 2012 under ex-president Dr Mohamed Waheed and retained his post under president Yameen.

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Islamic Minister resigns from the cabinet

The minister of Islamic affairs Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has resigned from the cabinet today.

The Adhaalath Party member announced his resignation in a tweet. “I have resigned from the Islamic minister’s post,” he said.

Shaheem’s resignation comes after the police arrested Adhaalath Party president Sheikh Imran Abdulla during a mass anti-government protest on Friday. The religious conservative party had split from the ruling coalition in March after the arrest and trial of ex-defence minister Mohamed Nazim on weapons smuggling charges.

Dr Shaheem said that it was an immense pleasure to be part of President Abdulla Yameen’s cabinet, and thanked the government for its support.

His resignation comes within two days of opposition-aligned religious conservative Adhaalath Party calling upon all party members in high-level government positions to resign immediately.

President’s office spokesperson Ibrahim Muaz Ali confirmed the resignation via twitter, but declined to comment further.

Several members of the Adhaalath Party had resigned from the government in March and joined the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) in a campaign against government authoritarianism.

But it is not clear if Shaheem will join the campaign. He was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.

The Adhaalath Party has congratulated Shaheem for the “courageous” decision to resign from the cabinet, describing it as one that would benefit the country.

Speaking to Minivan News, former deputy gender minister Sidhatha Shareef said Shaheem’s resignation demonstrated his loyalty to the party.

However, she pointed out that she quit the ministry in order to “respect the party’s stand after it split from the ruling coalition. Dr Shaheem resigned after the party called upon party members in the government to resign.”

Adhaalath Party secretary general Iyaadh Hameed on Sunday called on all party members to resign following Imran’s arrest. The sheikh has been remanded for 15 days.

The opposition is continuing its protests despite a crackdown and the arrest of nearly 200 people from the May Day protest.

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President ratifies law stripping Nasheed of MDP presidency

President Abdulla Yameen ratified amendments to the prison and paroles law today that strips ex-president Mohamed Nasheed of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) presidency.

The changes voted through to the Prison and Parole Act last month by the pro-government parliamentary majority prohibit inmates from holding high-level or leadership posts in political parties.

Nasheed is serving a 13-year jail term following his conviction on terrorism charges related to the detention of a judge during his tenure. The opposition says the trial was a politically-motivated attempt by the government to bar Nasheed from challenging president Yameen in the 2018 presidential election.

President Yameen meanwhile ratified the Maldives Islamic university bill as well as amendments to the new penal code.

The Islamic university legislation seeks to upgrade the existing Islamic college or ‘Kulliya’ to a university while changes to the penal code seeks to bring forward its enactment to July 1.

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Court approves 15-day remand detention for JP senior member

The criminal court has ordered police to hold Jumhooree Party foreign and public relations executive Sobah Rasheed in remand detention for 15 days.

Rasheed was arrested from Sunday’s night opposition protest at the artificial beach. Police said he was arrested with a court warrant in connection with an ongoing investigation, but declined to reveal details.

Leaders of the allied opposition parties, including Adhaalath Party president Sheikh Imran Abdulla, main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) chairperson Ali Waheed, and JP deputy leader Ameen Ibrahim were arrested with court warrants after Friday’s anti-government mass rally.

Nearly 200 protesters were arrested from the May Day protest after clashes with riot police, of which 175 are being held in remand detention for 15 days.

Rasheed is also a member of the ‘Maldivians against tyranny’ alliance’s steering committee that organised Friday’s protest.

A number of protesters, including former MDP vice presidential candidate Dr Musthafa Luthfy, was also arrested from Sunday night’s protest. However, Luthfy was released after a brief detention.

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