Heniveru-South MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), has left the grounds of parliament after his four-week refuge there.
MP Hamid has been charged with refusing to provide a urine sample, following the police raid on Hodaidhoo in November last year.
Sun Online reported that MP Hamid had left after assurances that he would be allowed to stay in his own residence, crediting a newly cooperative relationship between the government and the MDP.
The police have been unable to summon Ghafoor to court, as doing so would violate the Parliamentary Privileges Act.
Article 11 of the Act prevents an MP from being summoned to court during Majlis hours.
The Act was amended on October 30 to enable MPs serving sentences to attend parliament.
Speaker Adulla Shahid warned police in late October that, “Any act that violates the People’s Majlis immunity, honor and functioning and committed in contravention to the [Parliamentary Powers and Privileges] Act will breach the Majlis privileges.”
Despite this, the Maldivian National Defence Force (MDNF) stormed the Majlis on October 26th, removing (MDP) MP Ali Azim and handing him over to the police.
MP Ghafoor expressed concerns that the MDNF would do the same to him, and was sentenced in absentia to six months in prison for non-compliance with court summons. The case regarding his failure to provide a urine sample is on-going.
Ghafoor said he has spent his time in the Majlis doing parliamentary work and reading, as well as receiving supporters and family members.
He was not responding to calls at time of press.
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Good to see we're back to the old ways. If you are privileged and with the right connections, anything is now possible in the Maldives. Can an ordinary citizens escape jail and hide inside Majlis "receiving supporters and family members"? Of course not.
Majlis is not the private property of MPs. Neither is jail only for the common man on the street. So what happened to the independent judiciary and equality before the law? I guess the judiciary's real masters are now in power and can direct them appropriately. Viva la democracy.
MP hamza must get this idiot in jail soon.
This idiot stayed inside parliament house thinking that Fili Nasheed will be back in power and then come out clean since Nasheed will never arrest the guy.
Nasheed is the biggest dictator we have seen in our life.