Tag: maldives

Waheed takes MVR 525,000 for presidential trip, days before election

The Ministry of Finance has approved a budget of MVR 525,000 (US$34,047) for President Dr Mohamed Waheed’s trip abroad two days before the run-off election.

Waheed has previously described this as a personal trip to Singapore to attend to First Lady Ilham Hussain’s medical matters.

Waheed, who on Sunday an hour before his presidency expired declared that he would remain in office until run-off polls take place on November 16, is scheduled to leave tonight night – just over a day before the polls.

Waheed’s decision – based on a Supreme Court verdict signed by the four judges who had annulled the initial September 7 presidential election – contradicts a parliamentary motion to appoint the speaker of parliament as an interim president, citing Article 124 of the constitution.

While the President’s Office stated that Waheed and his cabinet of ministers will be serving for the additional six days without remuneration, the budget for the trip is over five times the monthly salary for the head of state.

“I do not think there is much I can do from here, things that I cannot do over the phone,” Waheed was quoted as saying in local media.

Local media further reported that the President’s Office had initially requested for a budget of MVR 1.3 million (US$84,306) for the trip, but the finance ministry did not approve the full amount citing procedural matters.

Finance Minister Abdulla Jihad confirmed the figures to Minivan News, stating that the funds have now been released.

“What we at the ministry follow is the Supreme Court’s orders. Since they have stated that the president can remain in government until a new president is elected, we are entitled to release these funds for President Waheed’s trip,” Jihad explained.

Jihad also said that the over half a million rufiyaa has been released for an official presidential trip to Hong Kong and Malaysia scheduled for November 14 -15.

Waheed however has informed local media that he is leaving on the night of 14th on a “personal trip regarding medical treatment” of First Lady Ilham Hussain.

He declined from stating even a tentative time of return, saying instead that he “will need to consider the situation back in the Maldives first”.

President Waheed further stated that he does not have a direct role in the swearing in of a newly elected president, and therefore did not believe that his absence would cause any difficulties.

“No legitimate government, do not carry out transactions”: Finance Ministry

Finance Ministry Permanent Secretary Ismail Ali Manik also confirmed to Minivan News that the funds have been released for President’s Waheed trip, adding that further details can be provided by Financial Controller Ahmed Manik.

Earlier in the week, the ministry circulated an internal memo instructing all staff members to refuse to run any financial transaction of state funds without the explicit permission of the financial controller.

The memo – signed by Permanent Secretary Manik – stated that the Waheed administration had constitutionally come to an end on November 10, and therefore to refrain from carrying out any financial transactions of the state within the date of the memo and the establishment of a new government.

A senior official of the Finance Ministry – on condition of anonymity – stated that the memo was released with the purpose of protecting civil servants in the ministry.

“The political appointees will leave at some point, but the civil servants will stay on. It is the civil servants who will then in the end be held responsible for whatever transactions that may have taken place in this time of uncertainty,” he stated.

“It is the minister’s personal view that he should be following the Supreme Court verdict. The permanent secretary has – as is evident by the memo – declared that there is at the moment no head of the ministry and therefore asked all staff to go to the financial controller for approval of all transactions,” he said.

Financial Controller Ahmed Manik was not responding to calls at the time of press.

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Heirs of slain MP want execution if court finds suspect guilty

Criminal Court Spokesperson Ahmed Mohamed Manik has today confirmed that all heirs of late MP Dr Afrasheem Ali wished to execute Hussain Humam of Henveiru Hicost, if the court found him guilty of murdering Dr Afrasheem.

Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) MP Dr Afrasheem Ali was stabbed to death on the night of October 1, 2012, on the staircase of his home.

Manik said that the court took the statements from Dr Arasheem’s heirs today.

He said that today’s scheduled hearing, during which Humam was to deliver his last words and closing statement before the judge concludes the case but, was cancelled as his defence lawyer Hassan Hisan is ill.

”Its the third hearing that had to be cancelled because his lawyer is ill,” he said. ”Today the court asked Humam to inform his lawyer that there will be another hearing scheduled next week and it will be last opportunity for Humam to present his closing statement and say his last words.”

Manik said the court will proceed with the case without his last words even if his defence lawyer is unable to attend to the next hearing.

After taking the closing statement and last words the court will deliver a verdict unless there is anything else to clarify.

State prosecutors have previously accused Humam of going to the residence of Dr Afrasheem and murdering him with a machete and a bayonet knife.

Humam had initially denied charges against him. He later confessed to the crime at a hearing held in May, according to a statement read in the court by prosecutors .

The statement was said to have been given by Humam at one of the initial hearings. It claimed that son-in-law of ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik, Abdulla ‘Jaa’ Javid, had offered to pay him MVR 4million for the murder of MP Afrasheem. At a subsequent hearing in June, however, Humam retracted his confession, claiming that he had been coerced by police.

Commissioner of Police Abdulla Riyaz previously alleged that the murder of Dr Afrasheem was a well planned murder worth MVR 4million (US$260,000).

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Majlis returns no-confidence motions against president and defence minister

The People’s Majlis has returned the no-confidence motions against President Dr Mohamed Waheed, and Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim, arguing that the pair’s appointments had expired on November 11.

Following Waheed’s decision to stay in office beyond the end of the constitutionally specified term, Speaker of the Majlis Abdulla Shahid wrote a letter informing Waheed that he was no longer in command of the country.

A motion passed in the Majlis to hand interim power over to the speaker was overruled by the Supreme Court as the presidential election took place on Saturday (November 9).

“Today, as the head of state, my responsibility is to protect the country’s highest interests. Many Maldivians, international organisations and countries are pressuring me to resign and temporarily hand over the government to the People’s Majlis Speaker. On the other hand, even more citizens want me to stay on, to continue with administration of the country, to carry out my duty,” Waheed told the nation on Sunday evening.

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Run-off parties begin signing voter register

Both parties with candidates competing in Saturday’s presidential run-off have begun signing the voters lists this evening.

Local media reported that the Elections Commission had stated that all lists needed to be signed, rather than just those that had been changed after re-registration as had been the case previously.

The court mandated procedure, requiring all candidates sign the amended voter lists before the vote can proceed has caused problems in the run-up to both polls scheduled over the last month.

Police moved to block the October 19 vote after both the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the Jumhooree Party refused to sign the lists. Last Saturday’s successful poll also came under threat when both parties again refused to sign the lists shortly before reversing their decision under intense international pressure.

The PPM’s candidate Abdulla Yameen also suggested he would not sign the voter lists for the run-off – originally scheduled for last Sunday (November 10) – before the Supreme Court stepped in to delay the vote.

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President says he is “unconcerned” as Maldives back on CMAG formal agenda

The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) has decided to place the Maldives back on its formal agenda, “pending the holding of a credible election on 16 November and the inauguration of a new president”.

President Dr Mohamed Waheed is meanwhile quoted in local media as saying, “Let CMAG decide whatever they will” and that his concern is about having Maldivians “approach elections in a satisfied manner”.

CMAG discussed the situation in Maldives in a meeting held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Wednesday, three days ahead of the scheduled polling day for the presidential run-off in the Maldives.

According to their official statement, “ministers expressed their deep disappointment that the Maldives presidential election process had not concluded prior to the expiration of the President’s term in office on 11 November 2013”.

As the constitutionally mandated date for the swearing in of a new elected president – November 11 – passed, incumbent President Waheed announced that he would remain in office as per a verdict released by the Supreme Court.

Waheed’s decision – based on a Supreme Court verdict signed by the four judges who had annulled the initial September 7 presidential election – contradicts a parliamentary motion passed to appoint the speaker of parliament as an interim president, citing Article 124 of the constitution as a basis.

“The Group noted that the breach of the 11 November constitutional deadline to inaugurate a new president followed repeated delays to the electoral process, as a result of annulment by the Supreme Court of the first-round election on 7 September and the failure to proceed with three further elections on 28 September, 19 October and 10 November,” the statement read.

“Despite this serious setback to the democratic process, CMAG was pleased to note that domestic and international observers, including the Commonwealth Observer Group, had found the first-round presidential election held on 9 November to be credible.”

“Ministers emphasised the urgency of ensuring a swift conclusion to the electoral process. In this regard, CMAG stressed the importance of the second-round election taking place as scheduled on 16 November, in a credible and peaceful manner, and of the newly elected president being inaugurated promptly thereafter.”

“Election delay is not reason enough to place on agenda”: President

Waheed has been quoted in local media as saying he did not accept that the delay in electing a president prior to November 11 is reason enough for CMAG to place the country back on its formal agenda.

He also revealed today that he would be leaving the country indefinitely tomorrow evening, suggesting that there was nothing he could not handle over the phone prior to his promised resignation on Saturday evening.

“The objective of placing the Maldives on its formal agenda is to push for elections still. To pressure Maldivians to elect a president and swear him in soon,” he said, adding that election preparations are “already proceeding very smoothly here”.

“I don’t think that it is because CMAG says, or Commonwealth says, or some foreign government says that we should do things. We should do things as we feel right, as is in the best interests, and in a way we can achieve the best possible results. In whatever way is best for citizens,” Waheed said.

“This country has been divided into two. None of them can rule this country without the other. Whoever wins will need to talk to the other side, and include them in their work. It must not be done in a manner where half the country rules, and the other half is sidelined. That will never bring peace and fulfillment,” he stated.

He said that it is in the best interests of the nation to hold the second round of elections next Saturday, and regardless of how small a margin the election is won with, the winning candidate must be allowed to stay on.

Maldives was previously placed on the CMAG formal agenda in February 2012 – following the controversial transfer of power, and was removed from it on April 2013.

Today’s CMAG statement concluded urging the presidential candidates, the security services, and other state institutions to extend full co-operation to the Elections Commission so that it is “free to carry out its constitutionally-mandated role and the people of Maldives are able to exercise their fundamental right to elect their president”.

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Maldives re-elected unopposed to UN Human Rights Council

The Maldives has been elected unopposed to the UN Human Rights Council for a second term, despite controversy over the legitimacy of the government.

“The Maldives believes that increasing the human rights resilience of the new and emerging democracies should be a priority for the Council and the entire UN system. The Maldives, being an emerging democracy itself, is ideally placed to contribute to the Council’s efforts in helping human rights promotion in such countries,” read a statement from the Maldivian Foreign Ministry.

President Mohamed Waheed announced that he was extending his term in office past the November 11, half an hour before it was due to expire. The international community has expressed concern and alarm that this has left the Maldives in a constitutional void, including the US, UK, Canada and the Commonwealth, which today placed the country on the agenda of its human rights and democracy arm.

The Foreign Ministry meanwhile said the Maldives had “stood for the voiceless in the international society; for the issues that affect the very fundamental values of human rights yet, hardly get a mention in global human rights debate; and it stood for helping the vulnerable and emerging democracies to cultivate the values of human rights in their societies.”

The Maldives was elected unopposed with 164 votes, alongsi Vietnam and Saudi Arabia.

The Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) stated yesterday that the country’s re-election to the council in the absence of having a democratically-elected government “is a mockery and sends an absolutely wrong message about the UN Human Rights Council. The credibility of the United Nations can only be restored through suspension of the membership of Maldives from the UN Human Rights Council like Libya in 2011.”

Former Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed, currently UN Special Rapporteur on Iran who was integral to the Maldives’ first election to the council in 2010 with 185 votes – the highest ever – noted the “vastly reduced majority from 2010.”

“There was also competition that year. This year, there was no competition: only four countries stood for the
four vacant seats. So there really was no choice for the General Assembly but to vote for Maldives,” Dr Shaheed told Minivan News.

“Given that fact that an MDP government is likely to be voted in next week, the Council Members will then have in Maldives a very pro-human rights partner, certainly in terms of the debates and votes in the Human Rights Council,” he noted.

“Finally, the Missions in Geneva and New York have been taking reasonably pro-human rights decisions, with the diplomats there using the void in the top in the Foreign Ministry to support pro-human rights decisions,” he said, congratulating the Maldives’ Ambassador to Geneva, Iruthisham Adam “for doing a remarkably good job in representing the flag, notwithstanding difficulties placed in her way by an autocratic
government.”

“But having said that, it is ironic that Maldives should now go back on the agenda of CMAG just as it got elected to the HRC,” he observed.

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President Waheed to leave Maldives indefinitely two days before elections

President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan is to depart the Maldives indefinitely on Thursday night.

Speaking to Haveeru, Waheed said he will be accompanying First Lady Ilham Hussein on a medical visit to Singapore. Although he said he would come back to the Maldives, he did not specify a return date.

On Sunday, an hour before his presidency expired, Waheed declared he would remain as head of state until run off polls take place on November 16.

“I do not think there is much I can do from here, things that I cannot do over the phone,” Waheed told Haveeru.

President’s Office Spokesperson Masood Imad said he “wasn’t aware of any upcoming trips”.

Waheed was President Mohamed Nasheed’s deputy and came to power after Nasheed resigned alleging coup d’état in February 2012.

Speaking to the press today, Nasheed said Waheed was unlikely to resign on Saturday as promised.

“Now, I do not think President Waheed is going to resign on the 16th. I hear he is leaving the Maldives on the 14th. I think he is leaving on the 14th and will not resign on the 16th. And while abroad, he will say say he is the head of state. And the Supreme Court, the police and military will govern here,” he said.

He pointed to the Maldives being ruled in the name of Abdul Majeed Rannabandeyri Kilegefaanu for eight years, starting in 1944, although the monarch was living in Egypt at the time.

The US, UK and the Commonwealth have condemned Waheed’s decision to stay on and called for the November 16 run-offs to proceed as planned.

“This action has endangered the Maldivian people’s right to elect a leader of their choice,” stated the US Embassy in Colombo.

Cabinet ministers revealed on Monday that Waheed had arrived at the President’s Office late on Sunday evening prepared to resign and hand over power to the Speaker of Parliament, as stipulated by Article 124 of the constitution, but claimed to have convinced him otherwise. His Vice President, Waheed Deen, had resigned that morning.

Minivan News understands that defence chiefs arrived at the President’s Office prior to Waheed’s address to the nation, initially scheduled for 10:30pm on Sunday. The address was delayed an hour, before Waheed appeared and said he would resign on November 16, the date scheduled for the delayed run-off vote.

After making the statement, Waheed and his wife were escorted off Male to the presidential retreat of Aarah, as violent protests erupted in the capital.

The couple returned to the Maldives on Monday, and moved out of the official presidential residence at Hilaleege. They are currently residing in the First Lady’s house in Malé.

Nasheed has accused Waheed of collaborating with former president of 30 years, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, to destroy the independence and sovereignty of the Maldives.

“Regardless, when the second round ends, due to the joy and hopes that come with the results, it will be very difficult for a few people to turn it in any another direction. This is what happened in 2008,” Nasheed said.

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IPU and UK foreign office add to growing criticism of regime

Criticism of the current regime continues, with both the UK Foreign Foreign Minister and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) expressing concern.

“It is clear that some political actors are not working in the interests of the Maldivian people,” said UK Foreign Minister William Hague.

Meanwhile, head of the recently concluded IPU delegation to the Maldives urged all sides to end the political impasse.

“There can be no place for a winner-takes-all mentality in the Maldives. The political polarization in the country has left the Maldives hamstrung, on the verge of bankruptcy and facing serious social problems,” said Paul East.

“The Maldives cannot afford to continue as it has been if there is a genuine desire and commitment to building a peaceful and democratic society,” he continued.

An urgent visit of the IPU followed a series of opposition MPs being prosecuted through the courts. The Supreme Court has removed two MPs from the Majlis, whilst a third MP is seeking refuge from arrest in parliamentary premises – and was later sentenced in absentia to six months for failure to attend court hearings.

Following its mission to the country, an IPU press release has called for “calm and a serious national commitment to healing the political divide in a heavily polarized Maldives.”

Whilst welcoming the successful completion of the presidential election first round on November 9, the IPU has expressed concern regarding the Supreme Court’s “undermining of the parliamentary mandate”.

“This includes over-turning a parliamentary resolution on an interim head of state when President Waheed’s term expired on 10th November,” read the statement.

“Instead, the incumbent was kept in the post, contrary to the Constitution and in contradiction of President Waheed’s repeated and public statements that he would not continue as president beyond his exact term in office.”

The Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) earlier this week called for travel bans to be imposed upon those it deemed as responsible for a “judicial coup d’état” – including President Waheed in its list.

The IPU also expressed concerns that the interference in presidential elections could have further detrimental impacts on both future local and parliamentary elections.

Dismayed and disappointed

The UK Foreign Minister described himself as being “deeply dismayed” and “disappointed” at the decision to delay the presidential run-off and the subsequent decision of President Waheed to remain in office.

“Since the initial vote, now over two months ago, the democratic process has continually been subject to unreasonable demands and delays. Such delays only serve to increase the strain on democracy, as well as Maldives’ international reputation and already fragile economy.”

Hague went onto say that he would expect the interim arrangements to remain in place only until the completion of the second round of elections – re-scheduled for this coming Saturday (October 16).

He also noted that he would not expect the government to commit to any policy initiatives in the meantime.

“The Maldivian people must have the right to vote for their representative, whether or not the result of that vote is agreeable to losing candidates.”

“We urge all candidates to uphold the interests of the people and the country which they strive to represent and to act responsibly in helping to create conditions which are conducive to elections.”

Hague concluded by calling for the Elections Commissions guidelines to be followed, and urging calm in the run up to the elections.

After violent protests immediately following President Waheed’s decision to stay in office, Male’ has not seen further unrest this week.

The Foreign Minister has received a written question from UK MP Karen Lumley regarding his opinion on Waheed’s attendance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo this week.

Lumley is currently chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Maldives.

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Court hears witnesses in February 8 arson attack on Thinadhoo police station

The Juvenile Court has taken the statements of seven witnesses produced in defence of the minors charged with an arson attack on Thinadhoo Police Station in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll during the anti-government protest on February 8, 2012.

The incident followed the controversial transfer of presidential power and was accompanied by widespread unrest across the country.

The juvenile court’s media official told local media that there would be one more hearing scheduled before delivering the verdict where the state and respondents will be allowed to submit their final statement and last words.

According to the media official one of the four minors produced one witness in his defence, while a second minor produced six witnesses.

The court refused to give details of what the defence witnesses said due to the nature of the case.

However, the court confirmed that the next hearing was scheduled to next Monday (19 November).

Journalists and the public are not allowed to enter the hearings of cases conducted at the Juvenile Court.

Juvenile Court Spokesperson Zaeema Nasheed did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.

February 8 was a day which saw protests erupt across the country after a brutal police crackdown on a Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) protest against the party’s controversial ousting from power the previous day.

Protestors on Gaaf Dhaalu Atoll Thinadhoo set fire to the police station, magistrate court, atoll council office, and all police vehicles. Nine policemen were attacked and subsequently treated at the Thinadhoo Regional Hospital. Police officials at the time declared the area unsafe for local policemen as “MDP supporters have threatened to attack the residences of policemen.”

Initially the police requested the Prosecutor General (PG) to charge 108 persons in connection with the unrest.

The PG pressed terrorism charges against the minors under article 6 (b), with reference to article 2 (f,g) of the Terrorism Prevention Act.

Article 6 (b) states that any person found guilty of the act of terrorism shall be sentenced between 10 and 15 years imprisonment or banishment.

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