Tag: maldives

MDP MP Abdulla Jabir sentenced to one year

The Criminal Court has today sentenced Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP and parliamentary elections candidate for Kaashidhoo constituency Abdulla Jabir to one year in prison .

The court found him guilty of refusing to provide his urine sample to the police to run a drug test, and sentenced him to twelve months under the Drug Act 17/2011 article 123(a)(b).

The verdict published on the court website stated that on November 16, 2012, Jabir was arrested as a suspect in a drug related case and that police asked him to produce his urine sample to which he clearly refused according to the witnesses produced by the Prosecutor General’s Office.

The verdict stated that, although Jabir had claimed that he was tortured by the witnesses produced by the state, and that the police did not follow the correct procedure when asking for a urine sample, Jabir was not able to prove these accusations to the court.

Article 73(c)(2) of the constitution states that a person shall be disqualified from election as a member of the People’s Majlis – or a member of the People’s Majlis immediately becomes disqualified – if he has been convicted of a criminal offence and is serving a sentence of more than twelve months.

Article 73(c)(3) states that if a person has been convicted of a criminal offence and sentenced to a term of more than twelve months, unless a period of three years has elapsed since his release, or he has been pardoned for the offence for which he was sentenced, he will also be disqualified.

MDP MP Ali Azim and Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Mohamed Nashiz were disqualified from the Majlis by the Supreme Court in a controversial ruling over decreed debt in October.

Jabir was set to re-contest his Kaashidhoo seat next month after an internal MDP decision to discipline the MP for repeatedly breaking three-line whips was overturned on appeal.

A house in Malé owned by the MP was raided by police earlier this month. Three men were arrested and drugs and alcohol were seized, though it was reported that Jabir does not live in the building.

MDP Parliamentary Group Leader Ibrahim Mohamed ‘Ibu’ Solih was unavailable at time of press and Jabir was not responding to calls.

A total of 10 people were taken into police custody on November 16 after police raided and searched Hondaidhoo with a court warrant. Officers alleged they found large amounts of “suspected” drugs and alcohol upon searching the island.

Seven of the suspects, including Maldivian Democratic Party MPs Hamid Abdul Ghafoor and Jabir were among those charged.

At the time, police submitted cases against former SAARC Secretary General and Special Envoy to the former President Ibrahim Hussain Zaki, former President’s Office Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair and his wife Mariyam Faiz. The manager of Jabir’s resort J Alidhoo Jadhulla Jaleel and Zaki’s son Hamdan Zaki also face charges.

Two Sri Lankan nationals named Raj Mohan and Anoor Bandaranayk as well as a Bangladeshi named Suhail Rana were taken into custody following the island raid.

Police Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef said at the time of the arrests that officers requested all suspects taken into custody on Hondaidhoo to provide urine samples for a routine examination. However, only Hamdhaan Zaki and the three foreign suspects complied with the request.

According to the Drug Act, Sections 123(a), 161(a) and 161(b), any person arrested on suspicion of having abused alcohol or narcotics has an obligation to comply with police requests for routine urine examination by promptly providing urine samples, and failure to comply is a criminal offence punishable with a one-year jail sentence.

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MMC presidency vacant once more

The recently elected President of the Maldives Media Council Abdulla Muaz has been removed from the position after fellow council members ruled that his selection had not followed due process.

Local media outlet Sun Online reports that the council felt one of the rival candidates for the post had not been afforded the mandatory 72 hours for campaigning, as he had been abroad when nominated for the position.

Both Mohamed Abdulla Shafeeg and Midhath Adam had contested for the post alongside Muaz.

The position of president of the council became vacant on February 9 of the council, when Husham Mohamed resigned after saying the council did not have adequate legal authority to fulfil its mandate.

The fifteen member council consists of 8 members from the public and 7 from the media. It is tasked with ensuring freedom of media and enforcing ethical guidelines.

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Indian external affairs minister arrives in Maldives

Indian Minister of External Affairs Salman Khurshid has arrived for a three day visit to the Maldives after being delayed due to domestic commitments.

During his visit, Khurshid will attend the SAARC Council of Ministers meeting on Bandos Island Resort. As well as calling on President Abdulla Yameen, the minister will hand over landing craft to the MNDF, and will take part in a ceremony handing over the India-Maldives Friendship Faculty for Hospitality and Tourism Studies to the Maldivian government.

Khurshid will also lay the foundation stone of a new building to be used by the Ministry of Defence and the Coast Guard.

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State to appeal ruling on diplomatic law

The government is reported to have requested that the Supreme court look into a ruling which stated Maldivian citizens were not obliged to respect diplomatic law.

A High Court ruling in August last year suggested that Maldivians are “not required” to act in compliance with Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, as no national law currently exists in the country that requires enforcement of the convention.

The High Court’s ruling came alongside a decision made regarding an appeal case filed at the court concerning breach of a lease agreement between an individual named Mohamed Shareef and the High Commission of India.

Haveeru has reported that the state will appeal the ruling in the country’s highest court.

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EC receives complaints of damage to campaign banners and posters

Read this article in Dhivehi

The Elections Commission (EC) has said that it is receiving complaints of damage being done to campaign material – such as posters and banners – from most candidates contesting in the parliamentary elections.

The commission requested people not do anything that could violate the electoral rights of candidates, and called upon both candidates and supporters to work according to the code of conduct given in Article 23 of the “People’s Majlis Election Regulation 2013”.

EC president Fuwad Thowfeek said that the commission was receiving a number of such complaints everyday, particularly from Malé City.

“Such acts could disrupt social harmony, and we request everyone refrain from doing any such thing. Parliamentary candidates want to serve the public, and involvement in such things is not a very good start, said Thowfeek.

“While it is not our first preference, we will have to take legal action too. We will seek police assistance in controlling such things.”

He requested that campaigners paste posters only where it is permitted according to the regulations. During the presidential elections in 2013, the EC received a number of complaints regarding anti-campaigning, though Thowfeek noted that no such issues had come up this time.

“But we urge candidates and supporter to refrain from anti-campaigning. We will take action against them,” Fuwad said.

Last week, the Adhaalath Party issued a statement condemning acts violating their Hulhuhenveiru candidate Dr Mohamed Iyaz’s electoral rights. The party claimed that posters of some Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) candidates were pasted over Iyaz’s posters and that his campaign banners were cut down.

The MDP candidate for Henveiru North, MP Abdulla Shahid, has also filed a similar complaint with the EC. Shahid’s campaign office said that his campaign posters and banners in the Henveiru North area were ripped and replaced with Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) candidates’ campaign material.

Campaign activities for the parliamentary elections are escalating as the election scheduled for 22 March draws near.  A total of 316 candidates are competing for 85 seats this election, more than sixty percent of candidates representing political parties.

Earlier this week, the Environmental Protection Agency requested that all contestants ensure that campaign material does not litter the streets of the country, as was often the case during the presidential poll.

Th opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) is running for all 85 seats, while the ruling PPM has divided the seats among their coalition members, with the party retaining just 50 seats.

The remaining seats were divided between Jumhooree Party and the Maldives Development Alliance. The Adhaalath Party and the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party are also competing in the election, while 125 independent candidates will also contest.

EC yesterday opened for voters re-registration for those intending to vote at a polling station other than that listed with the commission. The deadline for re-registration is 28 February.


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Pioneering desalination project launched in the Maldives

The island of Gulhi, in Kaafu atoll, yesterday became the first place in the world to produce desalinated drinking water using waste heat from electricity generation.

The project – a joint venture between state electricity supplier STELCO and UK registered charity the Aquiva Foundation – will produce around 8000 litres of water for local consumption.

“We think this is a fantastic opportunity for the Maldives, but if it works in the Maldives the way we think it will, I think the world will look differently at desalinating water, because all of a sudden you can do it sustainably on a really large scale,” said Aquiva CEO Florian Bollen.

The lack of fresh drinking water in the country’s 190 inhabited islands – made worse with the contamination of groundwater following the 2004 tsunami – leaves most communities reliant on rainwater and vulnerable to shortages during the dry seasons.

However, the dispersed nature of the islands, and the lack of a national grid means that every inhabited island houses its own facilities for electricity generation.

Research carried out by Aquiva prior to the project suggeste that 95 percent of Gulhi’s inhabitants were unhappy with the water supply in the island, which leaves them reliant on impure rainwater for drinking and contaminated ground water for washing.

The UK charity has installed a membrane distillation unit behind the island’s generator which will use the excess heat produced by the cooling system to induce the distilling process.

Sustainable supply

Yesterday’s launch was attended by the Minister for Environment and Energy Dr Mariyam Shakeela, who noted that the improvement of water supply was one of the new government’s 100 day goals.

The ministry has recently inaugurated safe drinking water projects in both Haa Alif and Alif Dhaal as part of its drive to introduce integrated water resource management programmes across the country.

Minister of State for Environment and Energy Abdul Matheen Mohamed told Minivan News today that the government was emphasising integrated systems in order to make the best use of the resources currently available.

“Our policy is to use the available resources as much as possible,” said Matheen. “Just basically to reduce the water costs.”

“What we are doing in the existing islands is using reverse osmosis plants to desalinate the water, which is a very expensive method of getting fresh water. We have to find ways to reduce the water costs.”

In January, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development chose the Maldives from amongst 80 applicants to receive concessionary loans worth US$6 million (MVR92 million) for a clean energy project which could produce up to 62 million litres of desalinated water per year.

The ministry’s programmes also aim to raise local awareness on the protection, conservation, and use of water resources such as groundwater, rainwater, and desalinated water, explained Matheen.

He also noted that an integrated water approach  included the use of renewable energy sources, predominantly solar power, which reduce the need to use expensive diesel. Ministry figures for 2012 show that 27 percent of imported fuel was used for electricity generation.

Reverse osmosis systems require fuel which powers a high pressure pump to produce the clean drinking water, a process which Aquiva CEO Bollen also noted was “very high maintenance”.

“You have to have 24 hour engineers on site. With our system, we don’t have any of those pressures. It’s based on very low pressure, it’s very easy to maintain. The staff which usually look after the generators can actually look after the desalination plant. That makes it really applicable to remote small island locations.”

The project will also lead to a reduction of waste – a perennial problem in the Maldives inhabited islands – as reusable containers will be used to collect the distilled water and distribute it to households, before being returned to the desalination plant.

In order to sustain its projects, the Aquiva foundation will provide its services at cost price, with any profits made being reinvested into further projects.

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Criminal Court accepts cases from PG after second Supreme Court order

Read this article in Dhivehi

The Criminal Court has today started to accept new cases submitted by the Prosecutor General’s (PG) office after the Supreme Court issued a second ruling ordering the court to uphold the rule of law.

“It is essential that the criminal justice system proceeds as it has done to uphold the rule of law as per the constitution. Hence, we order the Criminal Court to continue trials in ongoing cases, to continue to rule on essential issues such as pre-trial detentions within the criminal justice system as before, and to accept cases submitted by the Prosecutor General’s Office,” the Supreme Court order read.

The Criminal Court in December suspended all ongoing cases and decided not to accept new cases filed by the PG office, claiming the court cannot proceed with trials in the absence of a PG.

Former PG Ahmed Muizz resigned from his post in November shortly before the parliament was due to vote on a no confidence motion.

The Supreme Court on deputy PG Hussein Shameem’s request ordered the Criminal Court to restart trials. The court began hearings in ongoing cases, but refused to accept new cases.

The lower court argued that the order had stated cases must be accepted as per regulations – which it suggested could be breached by beginning trials in the absence of a new PG.

With the new order, the Criminal Court subsequently accepted 20 new cases today.

Shameem has said the backlog of cases pending at the PG office has now reached 533 with the Criminal Court’s recent stance. This figure includes 196 cases of suspects in pre-trial detention.

Speaking to Minivan News today, Shameem said it would now take over a month to clear the backlog.

“We will together work with the Criminal Court and hope for greater cooperation in the future,” he said.

The Human Rights Commission of Maldives on Monday called on the People’s Majlis to expedite the appointment of a new PG, stating the delay violates the citizen’s right to justice.

In December, President Abdulla Yameen nominated his nephew Maumoon Hameed for the position. Parliament broke for recess at the end of the year, however, after having forwarded the nominee for vetting by the independent institutions committee.

The Supreme Court is at present holding trial over the Elections Commission (EC) claiming the commission has disobeyed the court’s orders by dissolving political parties.

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Philippines woman arrested for smuggling cocaine

Police have arrested a 38 years Philippines woman for smuggling cocaine into the Maldives.

The woman, who on Sunday arrived in Maldives on a flight from Dubai,was arrested from Ibrahim Nasir International Airport after customs officers found more than 4.5 grams of cocaine. Eight bags of cocaine was discovered hidden inside books and paper rolls in her suitcase.

Another Philippines woman was sentenced to life last month after she was found guilty of smuggling 3kg of cocaine. She was also caught by Maldive Customs Service when she arrived from Rio de Janeiro via Dubai. The case was also investigated by Dubai Police.

Last year Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration tightened the monitoring of Filipino nationals traveling to the Maldives, over fears of being used as a transit point for labour trafficking of Philippines citizens.

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Asia can no longer follow West’s polluting ways: South China Morning Post

“For decades, Asian leaders largely ignored climate change. It’s a Western problem, we said. They caused the problem by dumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere; let them clean it up,” write former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed and former President of East Timor José Ramos-Horta in the South China Morning Post.

“Instead, we Asian leaders focused on reducing poverty by growing our economies. We were not responsible for the pollution, we argued; so we should not have to pay for it. Yes, Asia’s industrialisation was quietly building up toxic stores of carbon, but we were only following the rich world’s prescription for success. Carbon equals growth, it said; and, like those who took up smoking on the doctor’s orders, we were not to blame.

There was a time when the assumptions underpinning this line of thinking were true. Not any more.

Climate change has become malignant. It threatens to blunt Asia’s growth and upend our development. Climate scientists are increasingly certain that catastrophic weather events – such as the 2011 floods in Thailand, one of history’s costliest disasters, or last year’s Typhoon Haiyan, which killed thousands of people in the Philippines – will become more frequent and intense.

From small island states to delta settlements, Asia is the climate front line. Seven of the 10 countries most vulnerable to climate change are in Asia and the Pacific. Millions of Asians are at risk. It falls to Asian governments, whose primary responsibility is to protect their citizens, to respond.”

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