TVM Investigation Ends

Three producers at state channel TV Maldives have been relieved of their duties following an internal investigation into leaked documents.

The three will nominally keep their jobs and pay, but have been told to do no more than sign in every morning at 8.30am.

Ibrahim Muaz Ali, Ahmed Zahiru and Ilham Ahmed have had internet and phone cables disconnected from their desks and have been told they are no longer able to write, present or narrate programmes.

But they are still being paid, at a basic rate of Rf.2 170 (US$ 170) per month. That means tax payers’ money is being wasted while none of the three are producing any programmes. Under guidelines set by the President’s Office, the producers say they should be working on at least one programme a week.

Mohamed Asif, a senior staff member at the channel, told the three to not bother coming to work at all. On December 18, they received a letter formally telling them they had been relieved of their duties.

The three TVM workers had been at the centre of an investigation within the channel after a series of embarrassing leaks, including a website being set up featuring documents, emails and gossip about the channel. “There have been indications [of their involvement in the website] in our investigation.” Ali Khalid, Chief Executive Officer of the channel, told Minivan News.

But the producers insist they have no links to the website. “I don’t have any involvement in that,” said Ilham Ahmed, who added he was “very angry” about the way he has been treated.

At current, it is not clear what the final decision will be over the three producers. Khalid says he does not know what will happen to them, but insists he does not categorise them as “rebels”, saying: “One guy has taken leave…another guy has just not been up to the mark.”

But the producers remain defiant and say the treatment they have received is unfair. Administrators at the rebel website say their case may now be reported to the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives and the President’s Office.

But back at TVM the channel insists it has to impose discipline. “When you run an organisation there will be internal documents that should not be publicised,” Ali Khalid told Minivan News earlier this month. Today he said, “As an employee of TVM, they should have some discipline of leaving some sensitive information within.”

But discipline has been sorely lacking at the channel recently.

Earlier this month, Thoyyib Mohamed Waheed resigned his post as Assistant Director General and Head of Human Resources, saying there was “a conflict of interest” between the channel and the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party. He is now Shadow Minister for Sports, Arts and Culture.

Last month, a TVM journalist, Adam Mighdaadh, exposed why he had resigned from the channel in 2004. In a letter he had written to the Information Minister, Mohamed Nasheed, he said: “While I was an employee at TVM, I always worked to expose the truth, but my efforts were always set back due to the influence of the heads of the newsroom.”

The administrators of the rebel website about TVM told Minivan the investigation was run by nine senior staff, including Chief Executive Officer at the channel, Ali Khalid. According to the administrators, the committee also included Hassan Maanu, Aishath Hanaa, Ibrahim Rasheed (Thalvaaru), Abdu Raafiu, Raashidhu (Information Director), Nazeeru, Thoyyib Mohamed Waheed (Who recently resigned to become MDP Shadow Cabinet Member) and Mohamed Asif (Mondhu).