Police have said they are currently investigating a case involving sex tapes of a judge alleged used in a blackmail attempt.
A police spokesperson said investigations are in progress and individuals believed to be involved in the case had been either summoned to the police for questioning or had been arrested with a court warrant.
“We are currently investigating two cases concerning the video. One is the case of those who had been using the video to blackmail the people in it, and the other concerns the content of the video,” said the spokesperson.
Asked if there had been any intervention in the case by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) – who have previously claimed they are the sole authority able to investigate matters involving judges – the official said no such communications were made as of yet, and emphasised that “police will not hesitate to take any action as required by law.”
“In these types of cases, police investigators will look into those behind the blackmailing network, such as who is profiting from it, and will take all necessary actions against those involved,” the official stressed.
The spokesperson added that due to current laws not being up-to-date with new media and social networks, there remained “slight difficulties” in investigating cases but said that such cases had previously been successfully investigated.
“Our cyber crime department and intelligence department will jointly work in apprehending those involved in blackmailing,” the spokesperson said.
Police urged the public and those who may have been victims of such blackmailing to make use of the police not to give in to the demands made by blackmailers.
Leaked spy camera footage
Last Sunday, a spy camera video apparently depicting a Supreme Court Justice and a local businessman discussing political influence in the judiciary surfaced on social media networks.
The local media identified the two individuals seen in the video as Justice Ali Hameed and Mohamed Saeed, the director of local business firm ‘Golden Lane’.
The spy camera footage, which carries the date January 24, 2013, shows the pair discussing how politicians have been influencing the judiciary.
The discussion between the two individual revealed how feuds between politicians were settled through the court even when it did not involve any legal disputes.
“Politicians can resolve their failures if they work on it, what the judiciary has to do, what we have to do is when these baaghees (traitors) file cases, we should say, ‘That it is a political matter. That it’s not a judicial issue. It’s not a legal issue. So don’t drag us into this. There is no legal dispute,’” the judge is heard saying.
The discussion also revealed a plot of “killing off” DRP leader Thasmeen Ali and refers to a “second person to be killed,”
However, due to the unclear audio it is not clear what the parties are referring to, or the context of the “killing”.
The alleged Supreme Court Justice further went onto reveal his political ‘hook-up’ with Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom – the current Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) presidential candidate and half-brother of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom – claiming that he was one of Yameen’s “back-ups” and that his stand was “to do things the way Yameen wants”.
The Justice, despite being in Yameen fraternity, boasts in the video that he was a person who “even Yameen cannot play with” and that over time he had “shown Yameen” who he is.
President Waheed’s party implicated
The video came to light shortly after the arrest of Ahmed Faiz – a council member of President Dr Mohamed Waheed’s Gaumee Ihthihaad Party (GIP) and then-Project Advisor at the Housing Ministry – while he was allegedly trying to sell a sex tape of a Supreme Court Justice, believed to be the same tape now subject to police investigation.
Faiz was subsequently dismissed from his position as a party council member. GIP also in a media release claimed that the party would consider expelling him from the party depending on how the police investigation proceeded.
Faiz, who has been placed under remand detention for 15 days, was also the GIP representative at press conferences of the unofficial “December 23 coalition” of eight political parties that organised a mass gathering in 2011 against the allegedly anti-Islamic policies of former President Mohamed Nasheed.
He was present at a press event of the December 23 alliance on January 8, 2012 where the group announced plans for a “mass symposium” for February 24, 2012. He was also present when opposition leaders met then-Vice President Dr Waheed in his official residence at 1:00am on January 31 – seven days before the controversial transfer of presidential power – and pledged their allegiance to the vice-president.
The ex-council member of GIP also participated in the press conference later that night when opposition party leaders called on the police and army to pledge allegiance to Dr Waheed and “not carry out any orders given by President Nasheed.”
Known to be a close aide of President Waheed, Faiz boasted about his influence within the government as a “close confidante” of President Waheed and that he was in a position to embezzle large amounts of money from MBC and the State Trading Organisation (STO) in a leaked audio clip aired on opposition-aligned private broadcaster Raajje TV.
President’s Office Media Secretary Masood Imad told Minivan News earlier that in light of the developments, Faiz had been sacked from his position in government.
Following the media reporting on the case, JSC Spokesperson Hassan Zaheen told local media that the commission had learned about the video through media reports.
He explained that the legal department would first analyze the video and then decide whether the case was one the commission should investigate.
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