A man driving a pick-up truck was stabbed last night around 7pm near Vaadhee Fresh in Maameyo Magu, reports Miadhu.
According to police, the man was attacked by four men on two motorbikes.
The police have confirmed the stabbing and said they are investigating the case further.
The man is now being treated at IGMH.
(0)Dislikes
(0)The Criminal Court has ruled that Adam Naseer of H. Reendhooge is innocent of dealing drugs, despite being labelled by the government as one of the country’s ‘top six’ drug dealers and a police investigation lasting nearly a year.
Police searched Naseer’s home in Addu Atoll on 30 June 2009, where they found over Rf6 million (US$461,500) in cash and a tin containing drugs outside his house.
He was later arrested in early July in Addu Atoll, but “he wasn’t in prison the whole time,” explained President’s Office Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair. “On several occasions the court has delayed his imprisonment until the hearing.”
Naseer’s arrest last year was a big break for the Prosecutor General’s office and the police, who had been leading an investigation and following Naseer for months.
Naseer had also been arrested in 2007 on drug dealing counts and later on counts of bribery and giving false information to the police, but he was released due to lack of evidence.
In his verdict, Judge Abdul Baary Yousuf said there was not enough evidence to prove the money had come from dealing drugs. He added that the drugs could have been placed outside Naseer’s house by anyone and did not necessarily belong to him.
Zuhair said Naseer “is still considered to be a top drug dealer. He was caught red-handed.”
He added that although the executive and legislative branches have been reformed with the change in government, “the justice system is still going the way it was in Gayoom’s time” and “many of the judges are sympathisers of Gayoom.”
Ahmed Adam, program coordinator for Journey, an NGO with a mission to help addicts maintain their recovery and to raise public awareness on drug issues, said “these people shouldn’t be on the streets. If they’re not behind bars, what will happen?”
“The judge should ask where all this money came from,” added Adam.
Only one witness claimed the drugs belonged to Naseer. Under Shari’ah law, there needs to be at least two witnesses to prove a person guilty, annulling the witness’s testimony.
Deputy Prosecutor General Hussein Shameen said “he should not released, but… the court has acquitted him.”
Prosecutor General Ahmed Muizzu said he had no comment on Naseer’s release, but added that his office would “appeal [the case] to the High Court.”
Two of the ‘top six’ have now fled the country. police are still investigating the remaining three suspects.
President Nasheed has previously said that while the government knows the identities of the top six drug dealers, their arrests would appear politically motivated as they included political opponents.
(0)Dislikes(0)A 69 year old German tourist died yesterday while snorkelling at Embudhu Village Resort in Kaafu Atoll, eight kilometres from Male’.
Police confirmed the case was reported at 4:45pm yesterday.
A senior staff member at Embudu village told Minivan News the man went snorkeling with his friend yesterday.
”His friend noticed that he had been floating in the water without movement for a while and went to help him,” the staff member said.
”When he shook him he did not move, so he knew that something was wrong. The sea was clam and there was low tide that time.”
He said the dead man’s friend shouted at a speed boat entering the resort and the man was recovered from the water.
”He was immediately taken Male’ to confirm his death.”
The man arrived at the resort on holiday with his wife on the 23 February and was supposed to have left on 9 February, the staff member said. The man’s son will arrive at the resort tomorrow.
Police seargant Abdul Muhsin said a forensic team were investigating the man’s body but had found no external injuries. ”He has been taken to mortuary now” he said.
Indira Gandi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) confirmed the death yesterday.
(0)Dislikes(0)Police have summoned the Dhivehi Rayyihtunge Party’s (DRP) deputy leader MP Ali Waheed for questioning about his involvement in the protest outside the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) base and president’s residence on 28 January.
Umar Naseer, another deputy leader of the DRP, was summoned for questioning yesterday about his involvement in the protest.
Waheed notified the media he had been summoned shortly before 3pm, and said he would “face the press” afterwards.
He said he had remained silent during questions about his involvement, and about the comments he made to the media about police cooperating with the protesters.
When the police asked him whether he would like to investigate the incident in which he was hit by a stone during the protest, he replied ”no”.
After the questioning concluded Waheed said he had reported three cases to the police and asked them to investigate.
”The first thing I reported was that during the protest a person from the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) – ranked higher than sergeant – used abusive language [against the protesters],” he said.
”Secondly, why that night when MPs asked for police protection were they ignored?”
Thirdly, Waheed said he asked police to investigate an MDP MP who allegedly demanded police stop handcuffing a protester outside parliament during a protest over the decentralisation bill.
Waheed added that it was “really dangerous” for armed police to use abusive language and “threaten people.” He did not mention what was said.
Press Secretary for the President Mohamed Zuhair said the government did not believe that the MNDF used abusive language while controlling the protest.
”That was really a dangerous protest by DRP,” he added.
He said it was all right for Waheed to remain silent, but said that ”the police begin such a questioning session of an investigation only after they have collected evidence and proof.”
”As the police is investigating the case we better not comment,” he added.
Spokesperson for Maldivian Democratic Part MDP Ahmed Haleem said also did not believe the MNDF had used abusive language, and furthermore claimed that when MPs asked for police protection the police provided it.
”I was watching the protest very closely,” he said.
Sub Inspector of police Ahmed Shiyam said police were not commenting on whether they would investigate the three cases reported by Ali Waheed.
In a statement police issued on 2 February police said they would launch an investigation of the demonstration outside MDNF and the president’s residence.
(0)Dislikes(0)A 28 year old man from the island of Kolamaafushi in Gaafu Dhaalu atoll was arrested by police for allegedly abusing an eight year old boy on Friday and later trying to rape his own mother that evening.
Police Sub Inspector Ahmed Shiyam confirmed that a man from Kolamaafushi had been arrested in connection with the two crimes but said at the moment police were unable to provide further details as the case was under investigation.
Police atoll commander for Gaafu Dhaalu atoll, Ali Mustafa, said the man was arrested last night around 10:30pm and had a recent record of child abuse. Mustafa said police discovered the man hiding on the beach of Kolamaafushi.
An official from the island office reported the man to police after he was called to the house in the course of his duties and discovered him lying on a bed naked with the child, watching TV.
Before he was arrested by police the man attempted to sexually assault his mother, the official said.
The woman jumped out a window and escaped to a nearby house, pursued by her son.
”[He] ran after her naked and tried to enter that house,” the official said, ”but a man from the house protected the woman.”
The neighbour was injured in a scuffle with the man, he said, while the woman suffered scratches to her neck.
Deputy Minister for Health and Family Mariya Ali said the ministry had received a report of one of the two incidents “but ‘would not like to mention which one.”
”These types of cases been occurring for a long time,” she said, ”but people have been very hesitant to inform [the authorities].”
She said to prevent such incidents from happening the ministry needed the help of the community.
”In every case there is someone from the community who know about it,” she said.
(0)Dislikes(0)Vice president of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Umar Naseer was yesterday summoned to police headquarters for questioning about his involvement in the protest outside the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) base and president’s residence on 28 January.
Sub Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said Naseer was summoned at 3pm ”for questioning regarding his shaking of MNDF’s gate.”
He said the police were currently investigating the case and ”can’t give out more details”.
MNDF Major Ibrahim Afsal also said he could not comment on the issue because police were investigating the case.
However, Press Secretary for the President’s Office Mohamed Zuhair claimed Umar Naseer’s shaking of the gates showed he was illegally trying to enter president’s official residence and the MNDF base.
”It was not a peaceful protest,” Zuhair said, saying Naseer’s actions appeared on CCTV footage of the incident.
”The police are now investigating the case, so we better not say anything yet,” he said.
Naseer acknowledged he was taken to the police yesterday.
He said the police questioned him whether he shook the gates of MNDF and president’s residence, and ”I said I did, and I still do.”
Naseer said he shook the gates of MNDF to “enter there and make the MNDF take part in our protest.”
“Their main reason for [summoning] me was to shut down the opposition demonstration,” he said. ”That night we did not commit any crimes.”
Spokesman for DRP and also the party’s Vice President Ibrahim Shareef said the government had now started arresting protesters.
”They said protesting was fine before they came to administration,” Shareef said, ”and now that they have got the administration they have started arresting protesters.”
Shareef claimed he remembers a time when president Mohamed Nasheed used to come out for protests and shake the gate of former president’s residence Theemuge.
”The police should investigate that case as well,” he said.
Spokesman for the Maldivian Democrartic Party (MDP) Ahmed Haleem said the party would not comment.
(0)Dislikes(0)A senior judge at the criminal court has claimed that a lack of witness protection is the main reason the justice system has failed to check rising crime rates.
At a press conference last week, Senior Judge Abdulla Mohamed said many witnesses are bribed or threatened and many fail to testify in court for fear that they or their families will be in some way hurt.
Prosecutor General Ahmed Muizzu agreed the issue was “very serious.”
“Because [the islands of] the Maldives are so small, it makes our job [of protecting witnesses] more difficult,” he said. “In some cases, witnesses are being threatened or intimidated. In other cases they might be bribed or offered rewards.”
Another major concern raised regarding witness protection was the lack of space to hold witnesses and criminals separately, with witnesses and the accused made to sit next to each other in the court houses. Muizzu says that this is something that the courts are trying to address.
He agreed with the judge that witnesses should be allowed to testify anonymously, and said improvements were being made such as allowing witnesses “to testify via video or audio link.”
Muizzu also noted that “there are some issues of witness protection that are pending in parliament.”
The police are also trying to formulate laws to improve witness protection. Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said police brought up the issue of witness protection long ago, without response.
“Police get threats as well,” he said. “It’s a major concern for us; we need to give better protection to witnesses.”
Without a witness’ testimony before the prosecution, a case can be dismissed due to lack of evidence. Muizzu explained that “in most cases, confessions made to the police will not have any weight, so it is very important that the witnesses testify for the prosecution in court in order to prove the case.”
Judge Mohamed criticised the lack of cooperation between government institutions, claiming that this was causing delay and even the collapse of many important criminal cases.
The prosecutor general admitted “there have been some instances when there has been delay on our part”, but said he believes that all branches of government are doing their best.
“Our prosecutors do appear in approximately 40-45 cases in criminal court every day, and we do cooperate to the best of our availability of human resources.”
He said there are areas that could be improved, especially witness protection.
“The court will definitely need the cooperation of the police and the prosecution to effectively discharge their duties. And we are prepared for that.”
Shiyam said, “If there is anything police need to be mindful of, judges should tell us what needs to be corrected. They should at least phone senior officers.”
He insisted police are working “hand-in-hand” with other government institutions. “All authorities must come together to provide better security,” he said.
Spokesman for the President’s Office, Mohamed Zuhair, said the government is “strengthening and improving facilities for all institutions and courts.”
He said issues of space for institutions such as the criminal court would resolved when the ministries move to the new Wellaanage complex, soon to be completed.
He also criticised judge Abdulla Mohamed for failing to take his concerns to the “proper channels.
“I don’t believe people in the judiciary should access media to give political messages,” Zuhair said.
(0)Dislikes(0)A sleeping woman was badly burned after a group of men broke into her house at night and tied live wires to her feet.
Police said the group entered her house in Laamu atoll on Wednesday night and tied the wires to her toes, then connected it with mains electricity.
Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said the 35 year old woman suffered cuts and burns to her legs.
”They used electric wires and live electricity to create the shock,” he said.
Person in-charge of Laamu Gan Regional Hospital, Ali Faisal, said the shock had badly burned the toes on the woman’s left foot. He added that she had now been discharged.
Haveeru reported that the woman was still unable to walk.
Police are investigating the case but no arrests have been made so far.
(0)Dislikes(0)A businessman has been attacked and robbed of Rf435,000 (US$33850) and US$7100 in the latest of a series of gang attacks in Male’.
Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said the incident occurred last night around 12:00am on Janavary Magu near Sonee Hardware.
Shiyam said the man was carrying money belonging to a company when the gang approached and stabbed him.
The man is currently being treated at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) “and his condition is not very serious,” according to Shiyam.
An eye witness told Minivan News that the 41 year old victim was stabbed in the back and robbed of Rf435,000 and US$7100 during the incident. He said the man was taken to ADK Hospital around 12:30am.
Police did not know whether this case was related to other recent similar cases, Shiyam said, in which business owners carrying large amounts of money after closing their stores are attacked by gangs.
Last year on 28 December prominent businessman Ahmed Ibrahim Didi, known as ‘Campus’ Didi, was stabbed and robbed of almost US$300,000 in cash by unknown assailants. He was badly injured during the incident and was flown to India for emergency treatment.
Two days later, the manager of the Sunfront store, Mohamed Rashaad Adam, and an employee of the shop were attacked by a gang when they were on their way back to home with the day’s takings in cash with them in a small bag. The employee was badly injured but no money was stolen during the attack.
Vice President of the Maldives National Chamber of Commerce Institution (MNCCI) Ismail Asif said the organisation had held a meeting with police to make businessmen aware about these sort of incidents.
”We are trying to make Male’ a peaceful place for the businessman,” Asif said.
He said it was bad for businesses to face these kind of challenges “especially during a time of economic crisis like this.”
He such crimes could be prevented if people became more aware of the dangers of carrying large amounts of money.
(0)Dislikes(0)