Tag: maldives

MP Easa withdraws bill reducing penalty for refusal to provide urine

Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ahmed Easa has withdrawn a bill reducing the penalty for refusal to provide urine from a one year jail term to 15 days in jail.

Easa proposed the amendment to the Drugs Act after the Criminal Court sought to prosecute MDP MPs Abdulla Jabir and Hamid Abdul Ghafoor for refusal to provide urine when they were arrested on Hondaidhoo Island in August 2012.

If convicted with a one-year jail term, the two MPs may lose their parliamentary seats.

At the time, the MDP accused the judiciary of “purging” MDP MPs from parliament in order to influence the party’s simple majority in parliament ahead of several no-confidence motions against ministers of former President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan.

Easa said he had withdrawn the bill due to criticism from his own party and because he believes the police will be more professional with the election of President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom.

The Criminal Court’s Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed has sentenced Hamid to six months in jail for disobedience to order after he refused to obey court summons to attend a refusal to provide urine trial.

Hamid contends the court summons were issued in violation of the Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Act which prohibits the judiciary from scheduling hearings during Majlis work hours.

Hamid had sought refuse inside the People’s Majlis when the six month jail term was issued. The MDP then amended the parliament’s standing orders to allow an MP convicted of criminal acts to continue to attend Majlis sittings.

The Home Ministry transferred Hamid to house arrest in mid November and Hamid has now left the parliament after four weeks.

New Home Minister Umar Naseer has said enforcing Hamid’s jail sentence would be difficult as the Department of Penitentiary and Rehabilitation Department (DPRS) does not have the facilities to transport Hamid back and forth from Maafushi Island jail to Malé.

“We have to arrange a speed boat to bring him to every single session if he is kept in a jail outside Malé. We may have to bring him two or three times a day,” he told local newspaper Haveeru.

Furthermore, Naseer explained that incarcerating Hamid in the Malé City jail was not an option because the jail was at full capacity.

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Prosecutor General resigns before no-confidence debate

Prosecutor General (PG) Ahmed Muizzu has today tendered his resignation, shortly before parliament was set to debate a no-confidence motion against him.

The President’s Office has confirmed that Muiz wrote to newly elected President Abdulla Yameen, following through on a previous promise not to allow the censure motion to reach the floor of the house.

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) filed the motion against Muiz on October 24, claiming that that he had failed to take action against the police and the military officers who mutinied against former President Mohamed Nasheed on February 2012.

Parliament was scheduled to discuss the motion at 1:30pm today. The MDP currently holds a simple majority in parliament, recently using its position to secure the removal of Attorney General (AG) Azima Shukoor in the final days of the Waheed administration.

The MDP in its statement argued that the Commission of National Inquiry (CoNI) report had given clear evidence of gross misconduct by the police and the military on February 7 and 8 2012, which included brutalizing protesters and undermining fundamental rights guaranteed to the people by the constitution.

The party alleged that the PG – despite having the power, authority, and the mandate to look into such actions – had failed to take any action against the wrongdoing noted in the CoNI report.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed has also alleged that Muiz’s independence and impartiality had been compromised in return for his job security.

The PG is constitutionally required to act independently and impartially, with only general policy directives from the AG.

After the original hearings of the Majlis Independent Institutions Committee was disrupted by pro-government MPs, Muiz produced a written response to the charges earlier this month, maintaining that he had always executed his responsibilities in accordance with the constitution and Islamic Sharia.

President Yameen is now required to appoint to the post an individual approved by the majority of the total membership of the People’s Majlis.

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Goverment to amend Decentralisation Act

The Government has proposed an amendment to the Decentralisation Act in a bid to cut spending on the Civil Service.

The Act, regarding local councils, currently ensures that five council members must be elected for every island with less than 3000 people, while islands with more than 3000 people are entitled to seven councilors.

In cities, one councilor is elected for each constituency.

The proposed amendment amalgamates the island and atoll councils to a limited extent.

Individuals may belong to both councils, and there will no longer be separate elections for the atoll councils.

Ibrahim Muaz, spokesman for the President’s Office, said, “the president’s thinking is not to cut-down on the number of councilors. But to elect councilors based on the population of the islands. This is a move to curb State expenditure.”

The government hopes to implement the amendment before the local council elections in January.

However, Moosa Manik, MP for Hulhu-Henveiru and Chair of the Parliamentary National Security Committee, warned that it may be impossible to implement the changes before January.

The committee has recently passed other local council reforms, including designating any island with more than 10 000 people a city (currently 25 000) and inviting the president of the women’s committee into council.

The Maldivian Democratic Party had proposed similar legislation in 2010, aiming to cut down on administrative costs by establishing seven provinces in place of the twenty-one atoll system.

The bill was shot down by opposition MPs, mostly from the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party, on the grounds that the proposed changes were unconstitutional.

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New Attorney-General appointed

The new Attorney-General, Uz Mohamed Anil, took his oath of office on Thursday evening at the President’s office.

Mohamed Anil was appointed by President Abdulla Yameen Gayoom, and took his oath before Supreme Court Judge Uz Abdulla Areef.

Mohamed Anil will also sit on the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), as per Article 158 (i) of the Constitution.

This marks the final appointment of the President’s Cabinet.

President Yameen’s Cabinet
Minister of Defense and National Security, Retired Colonel Mohamed Nazim
Minister of Finance and Treasury, Abdulla Jihad
Minister of Tourism, Ahmed Adheeb (PPM)
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dunya Maumoon (PPM)
Minister of Transport and Communication, Ameen Ibrahim (Jumhoree Party)
Minister of Home Affairs, Umar Naseer
Minister of Islamic Affairs, Sheikh Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed (Adhaalath Party)
Minister of Housing and Infrastructure, Dr Mohamed Muiz (Adhaalath Party)
Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, Dr Mohamed Shainy
Minister of Economic Development, Mohamed Saeed (Jumhoree Party)
Minister of Environment and Energy, Thoriq Ibrahim
Minister of Education, Dr Aishath Shiham (PPM)
Minister of Health and Gender, Dr Mariyam Shakeela
Minister of Youth and Sports, Mohamed Maleeh Jamaal (PPM)
Attorney General Mohamed Anil

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MP Imthiyaz Fahmy charged with contempt of court under expired regulation

Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Imthiyaz ‘Inthi’ Fahmy is being tried for contempt of court under a regulation that expired in 2011, the MP’s lawyer Masthoor Husny has said during a Criminal Court hearing today.

The Prosecutor General’s Office is charging Fahmy for comments criticizing the Supreme Court during a Raajje TV program called “Fala Suruhee” (Headlines).

Police have asked the PG to try MDP MPs Alhan Fahmy, Mohamed ‘Bonda’ Rasheed, Ali Waheed and ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik on the same charges.

Husny cited Article 19 and 59 of the Constitution ratified in 2008 which states that a citizen is free to engage in any conduct or activity that is not expressly prohibited by Islamic Shariah or by law and states that no person shall be found guilty of any act or omission.

The regulation criminalising contempt of court was to expire with the ratification of the new constitution.

But the People’s Majlis voted at the time to extend the validity of several regulations until the government is able to submit new laws that are streamlined under the new constitution.

However, in 2011, when the regulations were up for yearly review, the Majlis failed to extend the validity of the regulation criminalising contempt of court.

The hearing was adjourned today when the state prosecutor requested more time to review the matter.

Meanwhile, MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor has returned home after four weeks of refuge inside the People’s Majlis to evade Criminal Court summons issued in violation of the Parliamentary Privileges and Powers Act.

The Criminal Court then sentenced Hamid to six months in jail in absentia for disobedience to order.

The MDP had pledged to ‘clean the judiciary’ following a series of sex tapes in which Supreme Court Justice Ali Hameed appears to be having sex with several foreign women in a Colombo hotel room.

The MDP has also condemned a series of controversial Supreme Court rulings annulling the first round of presidential elections held on September 7 and the stripping of parliamentary seats of MDP MP Ali Azim and MDP aligned DRP’s Mohamed Nashiz.

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Two arrested for stealing laptop and cash

A 21 and 24 year-old have been arrested by the Maldivian Police Service (MPS) on suspicion of stealing a laptop and cash, Sun Online reports.

A laptop and MVR 100 000 were burgled from a house on Kunahandhoo in Laamu atoll on Friday afternoon.

The suspects were arrested during the subsequent manhunt.

Both were arrested on Laamu Kunahandhoo

Maldives Police Service has arrested two individuals on suspicion of stealing a laptop and a large amount of cash from a house in Laamu Kunahandhoo yesterday afternoon.

Police revealed one individual as a 21-year-old and the other a 24-year-old, and said both have records of theft and robbery.

The two people were arrested during a manhunt for suspects. They are suspected of stealing a total of MVR 100,000 in cash, in addition to the laptop.

The 21 year old individual was arrested today and the 24 year old early this morning, police said. Both men were arrested under court warrants in Laamu Kunahandhoo.

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State Trading Organisation bankrupt: President Yameen

The State Trading Organisation (STO) is bankrupt, President Abdulla Yameen revealed at a rally in Hulhumale on Friday night, according to local media reports.

The state-owned STO is the country’s primary wholesaler, responsible for bringing in the vast majority of basic foodstuffs such as rice and flour, as well as other imported commodities such as electrical goods.

It also imports the vast majority of the Maldives’ oil, used to fuel fishing and transport vessels, diesel generators, air-conditioners and water desalination plants.

The STO sparked fears of an impending oil shortage crisis in early November, after then Managing Director Shahid Ali warned the company would run out of oil as early as November 10 if it did not pay some of its US$20 million debt to suppliers.

Shahid told an emergency meeting of parliament that government-owned companies had failed to pay the STO the almost US$40 million it was owed, and appealed to the central bank to use the foreign currency reserves to bail it out of its debt.

Central bank governor Fazeel Najeeb meanwhile warned that currency reserves were dwindling, and the state was on the verge of having to print money.

Speaking during Friday’s rally, President Yameen said “not only does STO not have dollars, it does not have Maldivian Rufiyaa either. Funding the oil import through STO is now a burden for the state.”

“I checked today where STO is now. By the time I left STO, the company had developed many commercial projects and STO was making MVR 154 million in profit. Today, STO is bankrupt. I am telling you, it is bankrupt. STO does not have money,” said Yameen, who chaired the organisation during the rule of his half-brother, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

Impact

The tourism industry is generally insulated from Maldives’ financial woes by virtue of operating a separate dollar economy – a practice technically illegal under the country’s monetary regulations, but which reduces the industry’s exposure to the rufiya as well as rendering it unexchangable and creating a foreign currency shortage for local people.

However the tourism industry – indirectly responsible for up to 70 percent of the country’s GDP and up to 90 percent of its foreign exchange – is unable to import oil and other commodities independently and therefore is exposed to any supply shortages experienced by local suppliers of commodities such as oil.

In June 2013 resort operators and businesses across the country were forced to dramatically alter menus and even temporarily close entire restaurants after weeks of disruptions to the supply of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).

The general manager of one property told Minivan News at the time that the LPG shortage had created a “food and beverage nightmare” that lasted three weeks, while some restaurants in Male were forced to temporarily close.

One of President Yameen’s early acts in office was to replace Shahid Ali as head of the STO with Adam Azim, brother of Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim.

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Four passengers detained for threatening to hijack plane

Four passengers who were to board a flight operated by local airline operator Flyme have been detained by the Aviation Security Command (AVC) for allegedly threatening to hijack the plane.

According to local media reports, the incident occurred last Saturday evening around 7:00pm at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) while passengers were boarding Flyme’s scheduled flight from INIA to Laamu Atoll Kadhdhoo domestic airport.

A police media official confirmed to Minivan News that such a case was investigated but said that the police had not made any arrests regarding the matter.

“The Aviation Security Command did not mention the issue was of serious concern. There is no reason to detain them and investigate. So we did not arrest them,” the official told Minivan News.

Flyme is an airline operated under resort tycoon-turned-politician Gasim Ibrahim’s Villa Group which  began its operations on October 1, 2011, with the opening of Gasim’s and the Maldives’ first private airport in Alif Dhaal atoll Maamigili Island.

The Head of Aviation Security Command Colonel Mohamed Ziyad told local newspaper Haveeru that the four passengers had given out a false threat in a bid to express their frustration over the delay in boarding the passengers to the flight.

“[Regardless of accuracy of such threats] we are obliged to take action. That is because, as per aviation regulations no passenger or any one for that matter, can make such threatening remarks. If anyone gives such an alarm, we have to take action. That person would not be allowed to board the flight and will be handed over to police,” Colonel Ziyad was quoted on Haveeru.

“We are at the moment trying to compile their statements. After that we will hand them over to police.”

However, an official from Flyme told local media outlet Sun Online that the four passengers had threatened to hijack the flight.

“While the passengers were boarding the flight, some individuals threatened the officials about hijacking the plane. So due to those threats we had to hand them over to the police,” the official told Sun Online.

He added that the incident had now been resolved although the flight had been delayed for about 45 minutes due to the incident.

Minivan News tried contacting Flyme’s media official Ahmed Shareef and Head of Aviation Security Command Colonel Mohamed Ziyad, but were not responding to calls at time of press.

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New High Commissioner to Malaysia nominated

Mohamed Fayaz, former deputy police commissioner, was nominated by President Abdulla Yameen as the Maldivian High Commissioner to Malaysia on Sunday.

Haveeru Online reports that President Yameen is seeking approval for the appointment in the People’s Majlis.

Fayaz is currently the Minister for Home and State Affairs.

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