The revised Committee of National Inquiry (CNI) charged with investigating February’s controversial transfer of power has said it remains committed to releasing its findings later this month, despite its Singaporean co-chair returning to Singapore until August 25.
Former President Mohamed Nasheed’s member on the commission, Ahmed ‘Gahaa’ Saeed, said today that the CNI’s investigations were continuing, despite co-chair G P Selvam – a retired Singaporian Judge – having to return to his home country to work on an arbitration case.
Saeed maintained that the commission’s report was expected to be sent to authorities on August 29, before being publicly released the next day, with Selvam believed to be working on the findings during his trip. Local media, citing a source in the CNI, reported yesterday that Selvam had been out of the country on business since August 3.
Without wanting to discuss the commission’s findings so far, Saeed told Minivan News that in previous cases where Selvam had been called to Singapore, any interviews with “important”, high profile witnesses had been rescheduled to allow him to hear such testimonies.
“When working with international partners, in some cases they will have existing commitments,” he said. “However, the commission’s work is continuing. Right now, [Selvam] is also preparing the report.”
A person familiar with the CNI’s workings meanwhile told Minivan News on condition of anonymity that there was some concern that the absence of the judge’ “may constrain” the panel’s ability to investigate at full capacity.
President’s Office spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza said the government had been aware of Selvam’s plans to return to Singapore, and believed that the CNI’s work would be completed “on schedule”.
“The CNI has not requested any additional time from the government to complete its findings,” he said.
CNI deadline
Earlier this month, Selvam stated at a press conference that the CNI’s findings would not state against whom the state should press possible charges. He contended that this was for the Prosecutor General (PG) to decide.
Days earlier, former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, said he would not accept that the toppling of former President Nasheed’s government on February 7 was a coup d’état, even if the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI)’s report came to such a conclusion.
Initially, the commission was mandated to release its findings on July 31, but CNI members stated that their final report will be delayed, after hundreds of people have come forward offering new information.
Selvam at the time said that the new date for the report’s completion would be the end of August, which was later approved by the government.
Saeed said at the time that 244 people had registered to provide information to the commission following the reforming of the CNI.
“There has been a lot of interest. We will speak to each and every single one,” he said.
The new names joined the 87 spoken to by the government’s original three member panel, taking the total number of contributors to 331.
“That’s one contributor for every 1000 of population,” Saeed remarked.
Following the remarks by the commission, President Mohamed Waheed Hassan extended the deadline by which the CNI must conclude its report into February’s transfer of power by August 30, 2012.
The first three-member CNI was appointed by President Mohamed Waheed, following a police and military mutiny and Nasheed’s resignation, in what he and his party have described as a coup d’état.
Facing pressure from the Commonwealth and civil society NGOs, the government eventually agreed to reform the commission to include a retired Singaporean judge and a representative for Nasheed.
The former CNI subsequently released a ‘timeline’ into events that took place from January 16 to February 7.
The MDP accused the commission of trying to prejudice the work of new commission, and then released its own version of events in response – the ‘Ameen- Aslam’ report based on interviews with the security services. The government described the publication of this report as a “terrorist act”.
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The news is getting more and more fishy....
There is no chance that these people will come out with the truth.
Ismail Shafeeu is the co-chairman. He is given 3333 number car with state dignity.
The coup is brought by Gayyoom, because he was just about to get caught for 800 million dollar corruption.
Ismail Shafeeu was Gayyoom's Defense Minister.
Imagine!!!
Get your fire extinguishers ready. MDP will burn the whole country if the CNI report is not in their favour.
The outcome of the report could be any shade of grey. In between. Indeterminate.
So, someone else will have to do an audit of thir report. Maybe Shafeeu has been paid? Maybe Dr Yasir is more stupid than he looks? Singaporean has been bought?
What needs to come out is black or white. It is a coup or not.
By then, it will be well into elections next year?
Realistically what do we want? The young generation wants freedom and entertainment. Older generation wants status quo. The tipping balance is reached now.
@Aisha
Just think like this, What if your Daughter or a sis is being raped in-front of your eyes. would you still wait for police to arrive, or would you do the best you could do to save her?
- same goes here. I am very confident that I Nasheed wanted he could have worsen the situation far more than what happened. He just need to share his part of story to Media, PPL will certainly get furious, and no Building would have stood still.
- Nasheed's policy isn't to ruin a country, but to stabilize, thats why more information weren't shared to media as a whole.
- We elected him for a term of 5 years, how on earth you say that man is a greed and only thing he want is to become the president, and next day he "Just" Resigned?
- Buildings can be built later. But the Freedom once lost, and its hard to get back.
- MDP Members, get ready with medical kit, cuz after the report, Gayyoom will command his "Gang" to kill whoever is against him.
There's a reason why Ismail Shafeeu, Yasir, Fawaz and Azima's Singapore Mocom judge is there. We all know that they'll never say that the president resigned under duress. Who do they think they are fooling by saying that they couldn't listen to any phone calls or Umar Naseer refused to come. It's all planned.
What is this hide and seek? Maldivians need justice and the report if biased against the people and the laws would mean injustice for decades to come.
the Co-chair cannot exonerate himself from an unfair report simply saying " I was away while the rest of the members finished the report."
Justice dont get served on a silver platter. You have to grab Justice by it's Ba**s. Justice belongs to Ablo gazee.