Addu City councillor for Feydhoo constituency Abdulla Aswan suffered a heart attack and died in the early hours of Tuesday morning (July 8).
According to the Addu City Council, they were notified of his death by the widow on Tuesday morning. They noted that Aswan was a passionate and active member of the team.
Aswan was a member of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party.
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(0)The Maldives Broadcasting Commission (MBC) has ordered Medianet to stop airing FIFA world cup matches on any channel besides local state broadcaster TVM and privately owned channel VTV.
In a letter sent to Medianet, MBC stated that the agreement with Sony MSM – which Medianet had shared with MBC – was not made in accordance with the rebroadcasting regulations.
MBC also stated that Medianet had charged an extra fee from customers for viewing the matches on channels 100 and 100 plus against the rebroadcasting regulations.
(0)Dislikes(0)A 37-year-old man has been arrested from the island of Dhevvadhoo in Gaaf Dhaalu atoll on charges of assaulting a minor of 13 years.
According to Dhevvadhoo Island Council, the man assaulted the 13-year-old after his son accused him of spitting on him during a fight. They quoted eyewitnesses as saying the man took the boy by the throat and threw him on to the ground.
While the boy was released from hospital after immediate medical attention, he suffered from a ‘seizure’ and lost consciousness on the following day. He was then taken to Thinadhoo Hospital, where he is currently receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit.
He is now being transferred to Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in capital Malé City for further treatment.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure has announced that it will no longer lease Rannaban’deyri Maalan, Hakuraa Maalan, and Hiriya Maalan of Dharubaaruge for any private functions.
Instead, the three halls in the national convention centre will now be leased only for the holding of political party, company, and national functions.
Dharubaaruge has been the source of jurisdictional wranglings in recent years, being forcefully taken from Malé City Council by the government earlier this year. Plans to renovate and eventually replace the convention centre were subsequently revealed to local media.
Dhoshimeyna Maalan, Faashanaa Maalan, and Billoori Maalan halls will continue to be available for private functions.
(0)Dislikes(0)Assistant Commissioner of Police Abdulla Fairoosh who previously served as the Maldives Police Services development directorate head has been transferred to the post of executive officer to the minister at the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Although Fairoosh works at the Home Ministry offices, his post remains as a position with the Maldives Police Services.
(0)Dislikes(0)A 39-year-old accused of smuggling and selling narcotics on the island of Kulhudhuhfushi has had his detention extended by 15 days by the island’s magistrate court.
The man was arrested on the island on June 27 and the magistrate court initially extended his detention by 10 days at the time. Police caught him while he was receiving a box from a boat that travels between Malé and the island.
Police found him to be in possession of a large number of small packets used to pack illicit drugs in and three packets containing narcotics as well as other contraband. He had also tested positive for illegal drugs.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Maldivian High Court has upheld the Civil Court ruling that the State Trading Organization (STO) had not acted against the law in limiting the credit amount of fuel released to Meridian Services, and decreasing the duration within which the company needs to pay back the owed money to STO.
Meridian Services had appealed the case at the High Court alleging that the Civil Court sentence was against legal principles.
The case was presided over by High Court judges Abdulla Hameed, Abdul Rauf Ibrahim, and Shuaib Hussain Zakariya.
(1)Dislikes(0)The Criminal Court has ruled that the money acquired through the sale of drugs by Ahmed Anil from the island of Kon’de in Gaaf Alif Atoll is to be taken by the state.
The money amounts to MVR64,985 (US$4,214). Anil was sentenced to life in jail and fined MVR100,000 (US$6,485) which he has to pay to the Criminal Court within a period of 30 days.
(0)Dislikes(0)Four of the five lawyers competing in an upcoming poll to elect a lawyer to the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) have threatened a boycott after judicial interference.
Lawyers Hussein Shameem, Mohamed Fareed, Anas Abdul Sattar, and Mohamed Faisal expressed concern over reports the Supreme Court may allow judges in magistrate courts in the islands to vote via fax on July 13 – a move, which would violate the secrecy of the ballot.
The attorney general had initially compiled regulations barring judges who have lawyer permits from voting to elect a representative from the lawyer community.
But the Supreme Court on June 23 ruled that all licensed lawyers, including judges and MPs, would be eligible to vote in polls.
Lawyers have said the decision allows judges undue influence in electing a representative from the legal community, pointing out judges already have three representatives on the ten-member commission.
AG Mohamed Anil then extended the initial deadline for candidates to submit applications from June 24 to June 30.
Subsequently, a public relations staff member at the Department of Judicial Administration (DJA), Latheefa Qasim, applied for the position. Latheefa worked at the DJA until she was appointed as President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s representative to the ten-member commission.
Latheefa was replaced when new President Abdulla Yameen took oath of office in November 2013.
The four candidates have said Latheefa appears to be backed by the judiciary.
“There is a conflict of interest when an individual employed with the judiciary to improve its image is running for an oversight body,” Shameem said.
Fareed said Latheefa running in the election is like disgraced Supreme Court Judge Ali Hameed standing for the position.
Meanwhile, both Anas and Faisal have raised questions over Latheefa’s eligibility, noting JSC regulations state no JSC member can run for consecutive terms.
Faisal said he believed Latheefa had completed a term as she had sat in the commission as a presidential appointee in the current term.
If Latheefa is eligible to run, any current member could resign now, and run again claiming they have not completed a full term, he said.
“There is doubt over whether Latheefa Qasim is standing on her own initiative or is being fielded by other interests. I say this because she submitted her application after the Supreme Court ruling, when the deadline was extended,” he added.
Latheefa was not responding to calls despite repeated attempts at the time of press.
All four candidates insisted the criticisms were not a personal attack on Latheefa.
The four met last week and discussed whether to field a single candidate against Latheefa, but decided to run separately, claiming they still stand a fair chance of winning elections as long as the secrecy of the ballot is protected.
Polling booths are to be set up in Arabiyya School in Malé and in islands where more than five eligible voters are registered to vote. They are Haa Alif atoll Ihavandhoo, Haa Dhaal atoll Kulhudhuffushi, Thaa atoll Veymandoo, Laamu atoll Fonadhoo and Gaaf Alif atoll Villingili.
“There is no point of contesting elections if the secrecy of the ballot is affected. There are approximately 136 magistrates court judges – a number than can significantly change the election outcome. If there is a perceived judiciary backed candidate, they will be forced to vote for the candidate endorsed by the judiciary, if the secrecy of ballot is violated,” Faisal said.
Fareed said the four candidates are still ready to field a single candidate or boycott the election if necessary should the judiciary interfere in election procedures.
“We will not blindly obey the Supreme Court’s decisions,” Fareed said.
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