Tag: maldives news

Parliament to vote on ministerial reappointments

The opposition-majority parliament will vote on the appointment of the new Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Dr Mariyam Zulfa, and Minister of Transport and Communication, Adil Saleem, later this month.

The two ministers were appointed during a ministerial shuffle prompted by parliament’s decision not to endorse seven members of cabinet following their en masse resignation in July 2010.

Haveeru reported that the Parliament Secretariat will present a committee’s evaluation report on the appointments on March 21.

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“Shared corruptions” with Maldives worth hundreds of millions, reports Democratic Voice of Burma

The Burmese authorities actively helped the Maldives “cover its tracks” while the Singapore branch of the State Trading Organisation (STO) funneled discounted OPEC oil to the junta using fraudulent paperwork and sold it at a premium, the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) has reported.

The DVB is describes itself as a non-profit news organisation providing accurate and unbiased news to Burma.

Referring to a draft report into the activities of STO Singapore compiled by forensic accountancy firm Grant Thorton on request of the Maldives government, “STO Singapore appear to have purchased fuel from Shell Eastern, the Singapore Petroleum Company and Petronas, and then sold it to STO, its parent company, or to third parties,” DVB said.

“The Maldives is given a special, cheap allocation of oil by OPEC because of the cartel’s preferential treatment for 100 percent Sunni Muslim nations, so the tiny island state under [former President] Gayoom would assume a far larger allocation of oil than the residents of the country needed,” it added.

Shipments destined for the Maldives would never arrive, and bills of lading recording receipt of cargo were missing, the report stated.

Details of the operation first appeared in an article by India’s The Week magazine, which identified the intermediary in the transaction between the two countries as Mocom Trading Pvt Ltd, a joint venture with a Malaysian company called Mocom Corporation Sdn Bhd, that was incorporated in 2004 to sell the oil allocation.

Mocom was one of only four foreign companies permitted to sell petroleum to the junta, alongside Daewoo, Hyundai and Petronas, the report stated – permission granted directly by Burma’s Energy Minister Brigadier-General Lun Thi.

The company had four director-shareholders: Kamal Bin Rashid, a Burmese national, two Maldivians: Fathimath Ashan and Sana Mansoor, and a Malaysian man named Raja Abdul Rashid Bin Raja Badiozaman, who was also Chief of Intelligence for the Malaysian armed forces for seven years. Then Managing Director of STO Singapore Ahmed Muneez was also a director.

According to the Grant Thorton report, the contract with Mocom Corporation revealed that a 40 percent commission on profits under the arrangement was paid directly into an account held by Rashid with the United Overseas Bank account in Singapore. The profits whereabouts beyond this point remain unknown.

When the story first broke, former STO chairman Abdulla Yameen, half brother of Gayoom and now leader of the opposition coalition party People’s Alliance (PA) party, told Minivan News that such trading was not illegal as STO Singapore was an “entrepreneurial” trade organisation that was licensed to trade in goods as well as supply the needs of the STO: “Even now the STO buys from one country and sells to those in need,” he said.

Yameen has acknowledged using the STO’s accounts to transfer money from the Maldives to his children in Singapore during his time as Chairman, but claims this was a legitimate means of avoiding foreign exchange fees.

The Week article had cited a source in the Singaporean police as stating that both Yameen and STO Singapore were under investigation. Minivan News contacted Singaporean police seeking to confirm the report, but was told by a police spokesperson that “It is inappropriate to comment on police investigations, if any.”

Obfuscation and heroin links

The DVB reported on several Burmese companies named in the Grant Thorton report as linked to Mocom.

“Among the companies who did business with the Maldivians was Kanbawza Bank, owned by Aung Ko Win, who is close to Burmese vice-general Maung Aye,” DVB reported.

Kanbawza Bank was “no stranger to controversy”, it noted.

“The bank was started in Shan state by the then-unknown and apparently ‘asset-less’ teacher, Aung Ko Win, who happened to meet and befriend Maung Aye. From mysterious profits made in the Shan hills – once the world’s largest source of opium – the bank has grown to become one of the biggest and most important financial institutions in Burma.”

Other companies which were doing business with the Maldives included Golden Aaron and S H NG Trading Pte Ltd, recorded active trading in 2002. During this period, according to the invoices obtained by Grant Thorton, STO revenue increased dramatically to $US78.8 million.

Both these Burmese companies are facing international sanctions, noted DVB, and are owned by Steven Law and his Singaporean wife, Cecilia NG. Law’s father, Lo Hsing Han, is described by the US government’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) as “the godfather of heroin”.

Most of the Maldives’ heroin since the 1990s is of the ‘brown sugar’ variety of Afghan or Pakistani origin. However, according to the UN Office of Drugs and Crime Representative for East Asia and the Pacific, Gary Lewis – cited in the DVB report – a wave of ‘china white’ heroin appeared on the streets of Male’ in 2003.

The vast majority of this variety, many times stronger than brown sugar, is produced in Burma.

The DVB report concluded that details such as those appearing in the Grant Thorton report currently “ask more questions than they answer.”

But the outline of STO Singapore’s operations thus far suggested that the “shared corruptions” between Burma and the Maldives were “worth hundreds of millions, [from] which [it] will take generations to fully recover.”

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DRP “disintegrating” as factions mull new party possibilities

At least one MP of the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) has claimed the party is on the brink of “disintegrating”, and will almost certainly split due to infighting.

DRP MP Ahmed Nihan told Minivan News that realistically, the formation of separate parties could only be stopped by nothing short of a “miracle” reconciliation between its current leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali and the party’s ‘honorary leader’, former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

A growing split between Thasmeen – endorsed by Gayoom on his retirement and elected unopposed – and a faction consisting of dismissed former Deputy Leader Umar Naseer and serving party members including MP Ahmed Mahlouf, has engulfed the party since December.

The Umar Naseer faction of the party campaigned alongside former president Gayoom during a tour of a number of islands ahead of last month’s local council elections.

However, the disputes between these factions this week have appeared to reach crisis point as members of Gayoom’s family publically criticised the current leadership on television.

Gayoom’s daughter Yumna Maumoon said Thursday evening that DRP members were concerned that Thasmeen was ruling the party dictatorially, as well as failing to properly oppose the government of President Mohamed Nasheed. An official DRP statement later denied Thasmeen was able to act in such a way under the party’s required conventions and suggested its leader still had the full backing of members.

Yet according to Nihan, some in the party are already considering potential names for a new party potentially based around the identity and ideas of Gayoom himself, but it was a development he said that was ultimately regretful for the DRP.

“[Until yesterday] I have been actively campaigning for the party since it began. It is therefore a very sad moment that the party is disintegrating,” he said. “We have worked for the best of the party and for the legacy of Gayoom so we can all experience better things. This now seems unlikely due to misconception and misinformation.”

Although no decision is claimed to have been taken as to then formation of a new political party, Nihan added that it was clear that Gayoom, who remains honorary leader of the DRP, was “very unhappy” with the recent conduct of Thasmeen.

Nihan said that concerns had been raised about comments allegedly made by Thasmeen on broadcast media such as DhiTV, where he was alleged to have shown disrespect to the former president.

These concerns come on the back of leaked audio excerpts allegedly of DRP Deputy Leader Ibrahim ‘Mavota’ Shareef stating a preference for the rival Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) over a DRP led by Gayoom. Shareef later claimed that the recordings were his voice, but had been doctored out of context and leaked to the press.

Nihan said that now Thasmeen had publically spoken out in a manner that was disrespectful to the former president and DRP leader, the situation of factions within the party had been complicated further.

The MP went on to praise Yumna Maumoon’s decision to speak out for her father.  “What she did was excellent, coming out in support of her family,” he said.

Nihan stressed that the situation was not irreparable, but that keeping the DRP as a singular entity was unlikely.

“Maybe if some sort of miracle happens and these people can sit together and sort out their problems there may be a resolution,” he said. “Otherwise there will be a new party.”

While claiming to not side with either supporters of Thasmeen or Naseer in the DRP dispute, Nihan said he believed that it was down to the current party leader to try and solve the problems threatening to split the party.

“DRSP”

Nihan said that should the “inevitable” occur and the factions go their separate ways in the political landscape of the Maldives, the survival of the DRP name was irrelevant compared to the importance of having Gayoom’s backing.

“It is important to remember that Mr Gayoom is retired and will not contest, he has clearly indicated that he will not run,” said Nihan. “However, we [the party] will always be with his ideas of politics.”

Nihan claimed that if a new party was to be formed, he had already received unofficial suggestions about new titles via SMS; such as a possible party under the Dhivehi acronym of the DRSP.

Adding that no formal decisions had been made on the issue, the MP said that the rights to use the actual DRP name was not thought to be too important as opposed to ensuring the support of Gayoom himself to party members and voters.

However, Nihan claimed that as he had been the designer of the party’s sailboat logo, under recently passed intellectual property laws, he held the rights to the image.

“I designed the logo, which received over 700 votes to be adopted as the symbol of the party on 21 July 2005,” he said. “If anyone tries to make a big deal of the issue then we can claim it. They have never paid me for the use of [the logo].”

DRP leader Thasmeen, Ahmed Mahlouf, Umar Naseer and representatives for Maumoon Abdul Gayoom were all unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.

Speaking to Minivan News yesterday, DRP MP Rozaina Adam said that according to the party’s rules, former President Gayoom’s position as ‘Honorary Leader’ did not give him a say in the political running of the party.

“The political leader of the party is Thasmeen. He is the one who is legally responsible for the actions of the party. It is the DRP Council that votes on a course of action, not former President Gayoom,” Rozaina said.

She speculated that much of the tension within the party revolved around the Council’s decision last year to send former Deputy Leader Umar Naseer to the party’s disciplinary committee, which made the decision to remove Naseer from the DRP.

“It was the Council that voted to send Umar Naseer to the disciplinary committee, which made a decision regarding the issue, not Thasmeen himself,” Rozaina said, adding that it was doubtful whether Thasmeen even had the authority to change the decision of the committee.

The DRP had a review committee, Rozaina said, “but Umar did not even apply for that. Instead he went and complained like a little boy to Mr Gayoom, to try and get him to change the decision.”
A split was looking inevitable, she suggested.

“Right now it looks like we are heading towards that. A lot of members in the Gayoom faction have been talking about creating a new party. It probably will split – I don’t see us getting along or working together.”
Even in the event of a split, Rozaina said it was unlikely that the opposition’s parliamentary majority would be threatened. While there were five DRP MPs on Gayoom’s side, both sides were still working against the ruling MDP, she said.

The Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP), led by former Attorney General Hassan Saeed, has already joined Thasmeen’s side of the DRP as a new coalition partner.

Rozaina said the party’s other coalition partner, the People’s Alliance, had been leaning in support of Gayoom’s side.

“There’s been a lot of rumours that [PA Leader and half brother of Gayoom] Abdulla Yameen is behind all this, and that this is something he has been planning from within,” Rozaina suggested.

DRP MP Dr Abdulla Mausoom told Minivan News that while he had no comment on any specific allegations, he was “very happy” with the democratic processes within the party.

“Every decision is made in a democratic manner,” he said.

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Iraqi ambassador presents credentials

The new Iraqi Ambassador to the Maldives has presented his credentials to President Mohamed Nasheed.

During a meeting with Kahtan Taha Khalaf , Nasheed said that both Iraq and the Maldives had embraced democracy, albeit under different circumstances.

Nasheed said the Maldives “takes pride in being a Muslim country with a thriving democracy.”

Khalaf said the new Iraq wanted to enhance its cooperation with Asia and other Muslim countries, and assured the President that he would work to further strengthen relations between the Maldives and Iraq under his tenure.

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Sheikh Fareed set to retire with farewell sermon on Friday

The Islamic Foundation of the Maldives (IFM) has announced that famous religious scholar Sheikh Ibrahim Fareed will deliver his ‘Farewell Sermon‘ this Friday night at the artificial beach.

”This may be his last sermon,” said President of Islamic Foundation of the Maldives (IFM) Ibrahim Fauzy.

”On Friday night he will announce whether he is retiring or not,” he said. ”As everyone know very well, Sheikh Fareed has a pending case in court, which could make him stay in prison for more than 10 years, if found guilty.”

Fauzy said that in the recent years as well as today religious scholars faced many obstacles to their work.

”Today also we do not have the real freedom – the culture of obstructing religious scholars is still alive,” he said.

On Friday night, Fauzy said Shaeikh Fareed will say his “last will and testament” to the people.

”He will refer to the Khuthbathul-Wadhaau (Last Sermon of Prophet Mohamed PBUH) and will also preach about the current situation,” said Fauzy.

Likewise, Sheikh Ilyas Hussein in his sermon told the attendees that it might be his last sermon he will deliver to the people.

Recently, in an interview with an Indian magazine ‘The Week’, unnamed government officials described Sheikh Illyas and Sheikh Fareed as “hate preachers”.

Sheikh Fareed will have been active in the religious field for more than 10 years, said Fauzy.

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Maldives celebrates the day it embraced Islam

The Maldives today celebrated the day it embraced Islam, a nation-wide celebration and public holiday.

President of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed this morning inaugurated the first Islamic Bank in the Maldives in celebration of the day, the first such Shariah-compliant institution in the Maldives.

The main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) has announced that it will host a special ceremony tonight at Dharubaaruge in celebration of the day, in an SMS message circulated by dismissed former Deputy Leader Umar Naseer.

The Maldives will also celebrate the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day with a special event at the Artificial Beach in Male’ this evening, from 9-11pm.

The event is being organised by UNFPA in collaboration with Thirees Nuvaeh, an NGO focused on promoting traditional Maldivian culture.

The legend of how the Maldives embraced Islam is taught to children studying in Maldivian schools.

It is said that long ago, an evil demon named ‘Rannamaari’ appeared from the sea on the first of every month, and the only way it would leave the islanders alone was through the sacrifice of a virgin girl.

Every month the islanders selected a girl to be sacrificed for the demon, only to discover her body on the beach the following morning.

This continued until one day a Muslim traveler named Abul Barakathul Yousuful Baru Bary arrived in Male’ and coincidentally stayed in the house of the next virgin girl selected.

As he saw the whole family weeping in sorrow he asked what was going on, and learnt about the incident.

He then decided to disguise himself as the virgin girl and go to the temple instead. The following morning, the islanders found him alive and reciting the verses of the Quran.

The King and his people were impressed that the demon never appeared after that incident, and decided to embrace Islam from that day onwards.

However, this story is dismissed by the young generation today as a myth. Many today believe that it was the King himself pretending to be the sea demon, allegedly raping and murdering the virgin girl every month and leaving her bod yon the beach.

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Authorities investigate death of baby during labour

Managing Director of Male’ Health Corporation Mohamed Zubair has confirmed that it is conducting an internal investigation after medical staff were forced to decapitate a baby during labour to save the mother.

IGMH said in an earlier statement said that the baby’s head had to be removed after its shoulders became stuck and it died during delivery, risking the life of the mother. Doctors were left with no other choice, the hospital said.

”It is the procedure at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) that when such incidents occur we always conduct an internal investigation,” said Zubair.

He declined to provide further information as the investigation was ongoing.

”The Health Ministry is the regulator at the hospital, so it is investigating the case as well,” he added.

Media Coordinator at IGMH Zeenath Ali told Minivan News that IGMH expects to conclude its investigation within two days.

”We will share the report with the media,” she said. ”We cannot reveal any information yet.”

She also said that the condition of the baby’s mother was improving.

The hospital came under pressure to investigate after a report in newspaper Haveeru raised public concern as to why the hospital had not performed an earlier cesarean section, given that it was previously understood the baby was large and the mother had been admitted to hospital for some time.

According to Haveeru, the mother was rushed to the operating theatre after the baby’s head became stuck in the birth canal.

The mother had reportedly been admitted to IGMH after doctors in Thaa Atoll and Laamu Atoll hospitals advised the mother to do so given the size of the baby and the mother’s high blood pressure.

Meanwhile, police and the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) have told local medias that they are also investigating the matter.

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Saudi Arabia bans protests, drafts troops ahead of weekend demonstration

Saudia Arabia has drafted 10,000 soldiers and banned all protests and marches after reports of a 20,000 strong uprising brewing in Riyadh this coming Friday.

Saudi rulers have already offered its citizens benefits worth US$37 billion in a bid to insulate the country from the wave of revolutionary turmoil currently affecting the Middle East.

The UK’s Telegraph newspaper reported that Saudi’s Interior Ministry had issued a statement on national television warning that protests “contradicted Islamic laws and social values”, and threatened violence against any disruptive elements.

In response, Saudi opposition groups were reportedly circulating Facebook messages encouraging demonstrators to stack the front lines on Friday with women, to prevent security forces from firing on the civilians.

Along with the overthrow of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi’s campaign of violence repression against his population, tensions in Saudi have also been exacerbated by the Shia uprising in nearby Bahrain.

Small demonstrations have erupted across the Saudi in areas home to Saudi’s Shia Muslim minority, many calling for the release of prisoners allegedly being held without trial.

Maldives’ economy could “collapse in hours”

Saudi Arabia sits on 20 percent of the world’s oil reserves and is its single largest producer of crude. Regional tensions have already pushed the price of oil to US$116 a barrel.

Yesterday, UK Aid Minister and former oil trader Alan Duncan speculated in the country’s press that the price could rocket as high as US$200 a barrel while a full-scale regional meltdown could see it hit US$250 a barrel.

”Two hundred dollars is on the cards if… anyone is reckless and foments unrest,” Duncan said. ”It could be very serious. If crude oil doubles, you’re going to have a serious spike [in petrol prices]. Try living without it for a week.”

One country that cannot afford to live with it for even a day is the Maldives, which spends 25 percent of its GDP on fuel – primarily marine diesel. That currently represents a daily expenditure of US$670,000 to meet the country’s fuel needs, approximately US$800 per person per year in a country where the average annual income is under US$5000.

If that price were to hit Duncan’s estimate on the back of Saudi unrest, “the Maldives’ economy would collapse with hours”, predicted a senior government source.

Civil war in Libya

Western countries have meanwhile put troops on standby as Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi fights back against a growing uprising in the troubled country.

British SAS forces have already been active in the country evacuating UK nationals, many of whom worked in the country’s oil industry. The UK press reports that eight SAS soldiers were captured by Gaddafi’s forces while escorting a British diplomat to meet opposition leaders, although UK authorities would not confirm or deny the report.

Much of eastern Libya is under rebel control, including the town of Benghazi and, after several attempts by Gaddafi to retake it, Zawiyah near Tripoli. The opposition also now control the oil port of Ras Lanuf.

Rebel forces reportedly captured two tanks during the fighting on Saturday, but apart from the equipment brought by an estimated 6000 defecting soldiers, the opposition is considerably outgunned by those loyal to the 41 year old autocracy.

Gaddafi has used foreign mercenaries and aerial bombing in an attempt to quell the uprising, and some opposition groups have tentatively stated that they would approve of foreign intervention to create a no-fly zone in a bid to ground Gaddafi’s airforce and stop it from bombing protesters. Two airforce officers who disapproved of their orders flew their planes to Malta and requested asylum.

Some civilian fighters have armed themselves with rocket-propelled grenades and anti-aircraft guns, reports a Telegraph journalist in the country, but the majority are armed with little more than “hammers and barbecue skewers”.

“Much of the rebellion is being fought by welders and engineers, shopkeepers and waiters, a dishevelled army of civilian volunteers commanded by a handful of military officers who have agreed to join the fight,” reports the UK’s Telegraph.

Interpol has put out a global alert against Gaddafi and 15 others including his family members and close associates, “in a bid to warn member states of the danger posed by the movement of these individuals and their assets.”

The Maldives Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Naseem, has called on leaders at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva to assist the countries undergoing a democratic transition in the Middle East.

Naseem said the Maldives welcomed the spread of democracy in the Muslim world, and praised the bravery and determination of those citizens in Egypt, Tunisia, Tunisia and elsewhere “for asserting their fundamental rights and freedoms, and for believing in a better future.”

“The Muslim Awakening heralds the end of power of the few for the few, and the beginning of a new era founded upon universal values, individual freedom, and mutual respect and tolerance,” Naseem said. “The Awakening also puts to bed, once and for all, the notion that Islam is somehow inherently incompatible with human rights and democracy.”

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DRP issues statement in support of Thasmeen after criticism from Gayoom’s family

Members of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) are claimed to be throwing their weight behind current leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali after he last week came under criticism from the family of his predecessor and former President, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

Press reports in the Maldivian media have continued to focus on the impacts of a DhiTV interview with Gayoom’s daughter Yumna Maumoon on Thursday, accusing Thasmeen of “spreading” autocratic rule.

Haveeru has reported that the party has sided with Thasmeen, although none of the MPs have publicly criticised the party’s ‘Honorary Leader’.

Yumna Maumoon said Thursday evening that DRP members were concerned that Thasmeen was ruling the party dictatorially, as well as failing to properly oppose the government of President Mohamed Nasheed.

The criticisms have added further weight to a split within the party down factional lines between various MPs.

In a statement, the DRP said that all policy decisions adopted by the party were made by majority decision agreed upon by an internal council.

“Therefore, the leader is required to execute any decision made by the council. This party does not believe that this is part of spreading the leader’s dictatorial ways within the party,” the statement read. “This party also does not believe that the leader should follow the instructions of a specific person in such a way that it contradicts with the spirit of the charter.”

DRP MP Rozaina Adam told Minivan News that according to the party’s rules, former President Gayoom’s position as ‘Honorary Leader’ and did not give him a say in the political running of the party.

“The political leader of the party is Thasmeen. He is the one who is legally responsible for the actions of the party. It is the DRP Council that votes on a course of action, not former President Gayoom,” Rozaina said.

She speculated that much of the tension within the party revolved around the Council’s decision last year to send former Deputy Leader Umar Naseer to the party’s disciplinary committee, which made the decision to remove Naseer from the DRP.

“It was the Council that voted to send Umar Naseer to the disciplinary committee, which made a decision regarding the issue, not Thasmeen himself,” Rozaina said, adding that it was doubtful whether Thasmeen even had the authority to change the decision of the committee.

The DRP had a review committee, Rozaina said, “but Umar did not even apply for that. Instead he went and complained like a little boy to Mr Gayoom, to try and get him to change the decision.”

A split was looking inevitable, she suggested.

“Right now it looks like we are heading towards that. A lot of members in the Gayoom faction have been talking about creating a new party. It probably will split – I don’t see us getting along or working together.”

Even in the event of a split, Rozaina said it was unlikely that the opposition’s parliamentary majority would be threatened. While there were five DRP MPs on Gayoom’s side, both sides were still working against the ruling MDP, she said.

The Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP), led by former Attorney General Hassan Saeed, has already joined Thasmeen’s side of the DRP as a new coalition partner.

Rozaina said the party’s other coalition partner, the People’s Alliance, had been leaning in support of Gayoom’s side.

“There’s been a lot of rumours that [PA Leader and half brother of Gayoom] Abdulla Yameen is behind all this, and that this is something he has been planning from within,” Rozaina suggested.

DRP MP Dr Abdulla Mausoom told Minivan News that while he had no comment on any specific allegations, he was “very happy” with the democratic processes within the party.

“Every decision is made in a democratic manner,” he said.

Speaking to Minivan News last month, DRP MP Ahmed Nihan said that the current antagonism between factions loyal to Thasmeen and dismissed former Deputy Leader Umar Naseer had made the party very susceptible to rumour and damaging gossip.

However, he said at the time that the party would remain unified and that gossip that the party could be split into individual political groups loyal to either Thasmeen, Gayoom or other MPs was inaccurate.

However, the party has continued to be rocked by reports of literal infighting with DRP MP Ibrahim ‘Mavota’ Shareef claiming in February that factions within the party were trying to “stifle freedom of expression” in a bid to seize leadership.

Reports of factions within the DRP have circulated since Naseer’s departure last December, leading to violent confrontations at an official party meeting held the same month that required police intervention after the dismissed deputy leader attempted to gain entry to the event.

The disturbance was linked to a growing war of words between Thasmeen and Naseer, with the latter still choosing to campaign with his former party ahead of local month’s local council elections alongside Gayoom himself.

Various MPs including Thasmeen, Ahmed Mahlouf and dismissed former Deputy Leader Umar Naseer were unavailable for comment when contacted by Minivan News at the time of going to press.

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