Tag: maldives news

ACC obtains court order for MPs’ financial statements

A team from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) entered parliament today with a court order to obtain financial statements of MPs.

A Majlis media official confirmed that the ACC team was working in parliament while the financial statements were available from the Ethics Committee.

ACC Chair Hassan Luthfy told Minivan News today that the commission obtained a court order from the Criminal Court last night and the team was sent in this morning.

“We hoped to get [the statements] legally but no solution was found through discussions with parliament,” he said.

Luthfy explained that the ACC was investigating allegations of corruption and bribery involving MPs after receiving a number of complaints.

Luthfy stressed that as “these are only allegations” he could not divulge further details or identify which MPs were involved since “it could violate their privileges.”

The ACC chair however revealed that the commission had received “about two to four complaints” regarding MPs.

In April this year, parliament reached an impasse on public declaration of assets by MPs after voting against a proposal by the Ethics Committee to not make the information available unless ordered by a court of law.

When MPs voted against the proposal 34 to 24, Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim declared the matter “void.”

“However, the Secretary General’s request for counsel on this matter has not been decided one way or the other,” he said at the time. “So the Secretary General will go ahead with it according to the rules of procedure.”

The Secretary-General had asked the Ethics Committee to determine whether MPs’ financial statements should be released to other state institutions upon request.

Secretary General Ahmed Mohamed confirmed to Minivan News that the requested financial statements and documents were provided to the ACC team before the court order expired at 3:00pm today.

According to Article 76 of the constitution, “Every member shall annually submit to the Secretary General of the People’s Majlis a statement of all property and monies owned by him, business interests and liabilities. Such declarations shall include the details of any other employment and obligations of such employment.”

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GMR 180-day development initiative nears completion

A 180-day development programme undertaken by Indian infrastructure giant GMR to modernise and expand the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) is nearing completion.

According to a press statement by the GMR Group, one of the issues that was rectified was accommodating capacities for peak traffic periods by lengthening baggage reclaim carousals from 30m to 60m, adding a fourth carousal and opening six new check-in desks at the departure area.

“I am proud to state that most of the development plans focused on expansion and the provision of basic facilities for passenger ease has been settled and operations are smooth sailing,” said Andrew Harrison, CEO of INIA.

New lounges are expected to open in September that would “typify the essence of the Maldives and will exalt comfort, elegance and exclusivity.”

Medium-term programmes over the next two or three years would meanwhile focus on investment and infrastructure development.

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Nexbis threatens legal action over delayed enforcement of border control agreement

Malaysian mobile security system vendor Nexbis has threatened legal action over the stalled border agreement with the government, reports Sun Online.

In a letter to Immigration Controller Abdulla Shahid on August 19, Nexbis complained that it had not received a reply from the Immigration Department to its inquiries after the cabinet decided to proceed with the project.

Nexbis stated in its letter that the company had spent “millions of dollars” to purchase equipment and had even paid import duties to the government, noting that the continuing delays were resulting in financial losses.

The border control agreement was signed on November 17, 2010. However the upgrade was stalled earlier this year when the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) expressed concerns about the deal, claiming that there were “opportunities for corruption” during the bidding process.

If concrete action to implement the border control project was not taken by August 31, Nexbis threatened to take legal action against the Immigration Department and sue for damages.

President’s Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair told Sun Online that the government would respond to Nexbis before the end of the month.

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Criminal Court suspends Assistant Public Prosecutor for one month

The Criminal Court has suspended Assistant Public Prosecutor Ihsan Mohamed Waheed from appearing at the court for one month after he allegedly refused to attend a hearing on Monday afternoon.

According to the Criminal Court, the judge announced at a hearing at 10:30am that a verdict would be delivered at 1.00pm but Ihsan told court employees to “finish the case another day” and walked out.

Ihsan did not answer his phone when the court attempted to contact him at 1:00pm. The accused and an accompanying penitentiary officer meanwhile had to wait at the court until 4:00pm for the Assistant Public Prosecutor, who did not turn up.

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PG charges Shahum with terrorism through gang violence

The Prosecutor General’s (PG) Office has charged Ibrahim Shahum Adam with terrorism through gang violence, alleging that he murdered 17 year-old Mohamed Hussein and 21 year-old Ahusan Basheer.

Haveeru reported that Shahum denied the charges and again asked for time to find a lawyer.

Shahum was recently sentenced to a year in prison for attacking a student in an Imam course they were both studying. If convicted on terrorism, he faces execution, banishment or life imprisonment.

Haveeru reported that following today’s hearing, Shahum threatened journalists present that “you should consider your own safety.”

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Parties stake positions on economic reform bills

The ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) have staked rival positions on the economic reform bills currently before parliament.

With two pieces of legislation of the 18-bill reform package completed by committee and up for a final vote next week, the majority and minority parties in parliament declared their stands at press conferences yesterday.

Briefing press at the MDP office, Majority Leader Ibrahim ‘Ibu’ Mohamed Solih stressed that the ruling party was “open to amendments from the opposition and ready to incorporate changes” to the General Goods and Services Tax (G-GST) bill and amendments to the Import-Export Act to excise and reduce import duties.

As of the 4:00pm deadline on Tuesday to submit amendments, Ibu Solih revealed that the MDP has proposed amendments requested by the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) and taken on board recommendations by the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI), Maldives Association of Construction Industry (MACI) as well as small businesses.

MDP has proposed completely excising import duties for fisheries and agriculture equipment and machinery, Ibu said, while maintaining current tariffs for imported fruits and vegetables to protect local farmers.

The proposed GST of five percent would meanwhile be reduced to 3.5 percent from October to December 2011, explained MP Abdul Raheem Abdulla, after which it would be raised to five percent next year.

Small businesses and “corner shops” would be exempt from the General GST, he added.

DRP Deputy Leader Ahmed Mohamed and MP Dr Abdulla Mausoom meanwhile told press yesterday that the party would oppose the introduction of a personal income tax.

“The main reason is that is going to be taken directly from the people,” said Ahmed Mohamed, former CEO of the State Trading Organisation (STO). “We will do everything we can to see that the bill does not get passed.”

As MDP currently has enough votes to pass the bill, he continued, the party would seek the support of other opposition MPs and Independents.

In addition, the main opposition party would attempt to delay the implementation of the tax bills to provide more time for both the public and businesses to adapt to the new system.

Moreover, the minority party would oppose an amendment to the Immigration Act, which would provide resident visas for skilled expatriate workers, as the party believes the move would make it harder for Maldivians to find employment.

DRP MP for Kelaa Dr Abdulla Mausoom told Minivan News earlier this week that the party would propose retaining import duties for “watermelons, papaya, bananas and mangoes to protect local farmers” to ensure price competitiveness for local agricultural produce.

“The rest is the way the MDP wanted,” he said. “With the numbers in parliament right now, MDP can pass bills the way they want.”

Following a meeting with President Mohamed Nasheed Saturday night, DRP Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali told press that the party “will not accept” proposed growth in state expenditure for 2012 and 2013 as “it would not be sustainable.”

Appearing on private broadcaster DhiTV the following night, Thasmeen said that state expenditure levels reaching over 60 percent of GDP was worrying.

“The figure has become so high because expenditure from the budget increased in response to special circumstances of the [December 2004] tsunami has been maintained at that level,” he explained.

While acknowledging that additional revenue was needed to finance the deficit accumulated since 2005, Thasmeen said that he objected to a proposed growth of about Rf1 billion in expenditure in 2013 since it was unclear how the increased spending would spur economic growth and improve productivity.

Responding to the minority leader’s statements, Ibu Solih said yesterday that increased expenditure was necessary to plug the inherit budget deficit and service high levels of public debt.

“13.9 percent of expenditure from the 2010 budget was for paying back loans,” Ibu noted. “There is no way we can escape that.”

The MDP MP for Hinnavaru asserted that the “answer to opposition concerns of how taxation proceeds would be utilised” was the fiscal responsibility bill proposed by the government, which would impose limits on spending and restrict annual growth of public debt to 3.5 percent per year.

Meanwhile at today’s sitting of parliament the committee report on the G-GST bill was presented to the floor, after which MPs were invited to submit amendments.

Some 39 amendments were submitted to the draft legislation while voting is due to take place when the sitting resumes at 10:00pm tonight.

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Mass resignation of expatriate staff at Thaa Atoll Hospital

All expatriate staff working in Thaa Atoll Hospital on the island of Veymandoo in Thaa Atoll have resigned following a strike over visa and financial issues with the Health Corporation.

Assistant Manager and spokesperson for Thaa Atoll Hospital, Midhath Naseer, told Minivan News that the hospital’s doctors had submitted their resignations, which were accepted on Sunday.

“On Sunday there was no doctor at the hospital, but the next day at 12:00pm we replaced all the doctors by bringing them in from Laamu Atoll and nearby islands. They have started working and the hospital is fully functioning,’’ Midhath said. “We arranged it so that any patient with a critical condition could receive services.”

Midhath said the major issue was that the expat doctors’ visas were not renewed before they expired, which made it difficult for them to return to their home countries in urgent cases.

‘’One of the doctors apologised to us and withdrew the resignation,’’ he said, adding that the doctor had now rejoined Thaa Atoll Hospital.

He said the expat doctors and nurses who resigned had also complained about being included in the pension scheme, which lowered their wages.

Atoll Councilor Abdulla Shareef told Minvan News that the resigned doctors and nurses were still on the island and that he did not know when they would depart.

‘’They met us recently, but since the Health Corporation has accused the Atoll Council of politicising this issue after we met with them, we are not involved in this anymore,’’ Shareef said. ‘’But the council thinks that we being the Atoll Councilors have the authority to meet with them anytime they request.’’

Shareef said that he did not have any official information about the resignations.

The doctors and nursing staff working at the hospital – which is almost entirely staffed by expatriates – declared themselves on strike on Sunday, and met with the atoll council to discuss their issues.

Haveeru reported that head of the Atoll Council, Shareef, had told the paper that the Health Corporation was counting staff as having used their vacation days despite staff waiting in the Maldives for their visas to be renewed.

Doctors and nurses told the council that in some cases their vacation days were all but spent by the time they actually reached their home country.

Shareef also told the paper that the hospital was using expired medicines imported during 2004 tsunami, and that doctors were being blamed for not having enough medicine in the hospital.

Meanwhile, an Indian gynecologist working at the Hoarafushi Health Centre in Haa Alifu Atoll has declared that she will “never come back to the Maldives” after two masked islanders attacked and gagged her on Monday night.

“They broke in to my room with their faces covered, holding knives, and they tried to attack me,” the doctor told Minivan News yesterday. “I could only see their eyes. It was like the worst nightmare I have ever seen.”

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Cooking oil containers washing ashore in northern atolls

Hundreds of cooking oil containers have washed ashore in islands of Haa Dhaal and Shaviyani Atolls in the north of the Maldives, reports Haveeru.

While a fishing boat from Shaviyani Kanditheemu recovered 256 20-litre cooking oil containers and two 200-litre oil barrels, according to Island Councillor Abdul Habeeb, over 100 containers washed ashore on the Naagoshi Resort currently under development in Haa Dhaal Atoll.

Meanwhile Sun Online reports that fishing vessels of Haa Dhaal Nellaidhoo found five 200-litre oil barrels and 40 20-litre cooking oil containers while four oil barrels and 50 oil containers washed ashore on Kulhudhufushi.

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EPA report chronology unclear, claims Champa Moosa’s lawyer

An Environment Protection Agency (EPA) report on alleged illegal dredging and reclamation on Kaafu Thun’bafalhu was not clear whether it took place before or after environmental regulations came into force, Azima Shukoor, lawyer for Champa ‘Uchoo’ Mohamed Moosa, claimed in the Civil Court on Monday.

Azima Shukoor, former Attorney General, is contesting that the EPA violated the constitution and the Environment Protection Act by imposing a fine on Champa Moosa.

In June, the EPA labelled Champa an “environmental criminal” for irreversibly damaging the island of Thun’bafushi and the marine ecosystem of Thun’bafalhu and fined Moosa the maximum penalty of Rf100 million (US$6.5 million) for conducting dredging and reclamation works in the area without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

According to newspaper Haveeru, Azima argued in court that the island or sandbank was leased to Champa Moosa in 1992 while regulations under the Environment Protection Act of 1993 requiring EIAs was put in place in 2007.

Azima further claimed that the EPA provided its report to Champa with chapters missing, depriving the local business tycoon of his right to fully answer the charges.

State Attorney Usham Ahmed however said that the island was leased to Champa in 1997 and read out the first letter sent from the EPA noting the illegal activities on the island and ordering a halt to it.

“When she says they do not know what was done illegally, I don’t know how to make this any clearer,” Haveeru quoted Usham as saying.

Usham said that the EPA met Champa on numerous occasions and offered him opportunities to answer the charges, adding that the report was made available to Champa’s legal team four days after it was requested. Usham noted that Champa Moosa did not request the report before the EPA decided to impose the Rf100 million fine.

Judge Mariyam Nihayath adjourned the hearing after announcing an additional trial date to consider the full EPA report before delivering a judgment, which is reportedly due on September 27.

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