Tag: ppm

MDP holds rally, EC meets to discuss election, PPM vows “there will be no voting tomorrow”

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) is holding a rally this afternoon in Male’ in a bid to galvanise supporters ahead of tomorrow’s constitutionally-scheduled yet judicially-contested run-off vote.

Whether that vote will happen appears in jeopardy after a tense stand-off last night between the Elections Commission – which said it intends to abide by the constitutional deadline for the poll – and the Supreme Court, which opened at midnight and ordered the police and military to forcibly halt all election preparations.

The Supreme Court order quotes Article 145 of the constitution giving it final authority on interpretation of the constitution, the law, “or any other matter dealt with by a court of law”, and Article 20, which orders the presidency, parliament, independent institutions, and security forces to obey Supreme Court decisions.

“Since it is stated clearly, it is illegal to disobey or challenge a Supreme Court order within the jurisdiction of the Maldives,” reads the order.

It calls for security forces to implement its order on Monday night (September 23) indefinitely suspending elections, and cites article 237 of the Constitution concerning the authority of the security services to “protect the nation’s sovereignty, maintain its territorial integrity defend the constitution and democratic institutions, maintain and enforce law and order, and render assistance in emergencies.”

The same article was cited by the Nasheed government ahead of its fateful arrest in early 2012 of Chief Judge of the Criminal Court, Abdulla Mohamed, that led to the party’s ousting from power on February 7, 2012 at the hands of mutinying police and military forces upset over what they claimed were “unconstitutional orders”.

The order followed Elections Commissioner (EC) President Fuwad Thowfeek’s declaration yesterday that the EC was preparing to hold elections as mandated by Article 111 of the constitution, requiring a run-off vote a maximum of 21 days after the first round.

Conflicting reports in the local press suggested the election had been cancelled, was continuing, that preparations were underway, or had stalled.

EC President Thowfeek told Minivan News on Friday morning that the Commission was meeting at 4:00pm today, and would be able to speak afterwards.

Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) vice presidential candidate and former Justice Minister under President Gayoom’s 30 year administration, Dr Mohamed Jameel, told Minivan News on Friday: “There will be no voting tomorrow”.

“There will be no voting tomorrow. It’s Nasheed’s madness that is going on, as he knows he cannot win an election free and fair,” Dr Jameel claimed, alleging that “[Nasheed] and the EC have colluded to rig the vote in the first round and that’s the reason why he now insists for voting without amending wrongs and fraud committed during the first round. There will be no voting tomorrow.”

The MDP meanwhile reportedly met this morning with international election observers present in the country, who unanimously praised the conduct and credibility of the first round round of polls.

Following the Supreme Court injunction last week the Maldives received strong support last from the UN, UK, US, EU, UN, Commonwealth, India, Australia and Canada for polls to go ahead as scheduled.

MDP Spokesperson MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor told Minivan News the party would protest from 4:00-6:00pm today, in line with election regulation prohibiting campaigning after 6:30pm prior to an election day.

“This is daylight robbery of people’s right to vote. I am still wondering if this is really happening,” Ghafoor said. “Without polls we’re not sure what will happen – it will be anybody’s guess. The Supreme Court will have called off the constitution and we will be in a constitutional vacuum. It will be another coup. The situation will be up for grabs – it will be the Wild West.”

“This is the time for the international community to intervene. The Maldives was a model transition to democracy, and we have bent over backwards to ensure a peaceful transfer. However the past leadership has now opening come out and contravened the constitution,” he said.

“The judges on the Supreme Court bench belong to Gayoom- this is obvious. They are remnants of the dictatorship. They took over the Judicial Services Commission (judicial watchdog), and brought all the old judges into the new judiciary under the 2008 constitution,” Ghafoor said.

He noted MDP’s new parliament majority, and parliament’s resolution last week calling for elections to take place as scheduled.

Should the Maldives fail to hold an election,”It will represent a big failure globally. We are a precursor to the Arab Spring. We had a perfect and unprecedented peaceful transition in 2008. That should be enough justification for the world to put its foot down.”

Nasheed had promised peaceful protests, he said, adding that the party did not expect a repeat of the February 8 police crackdown that hospitalised dozens of demonstrators.

“We have already crossed most barriers. This is the edge. This is a coup and the bottom line has now gone right up to the judiciary,” Ghafoor said.

“We have reason to have faith in the international community,” he said, stating that the party appreciated India’s position on the election: “they have hit the nail on the head.”

Responding on Wednesday to the Supreme Court’s indefinite suspension of the election, India’s Minister of External Affairs Salman Khurshid said India was “deeply disappointed and distressed that this should have happened.”

“Our understanding of the democratic system is that even if there are imperfections in the election system, those imperfections need to be addressed in a manner which is not destructive of the very process of elections,” Khurshid stated.

“It won’t be fair of me to comment on a court judgement, it is an interim judgement. I don’t want to comment on the contents of the judgement but certainly on the implications of the interference with an election. There is a window of time available because they have a November date by which a President has to be installed and I would urge all countries that care for democracy and who have a special cause of Maldives at heart, I would urge them all to use their good offices to ensure that democracy is preserved.

“If this is being done in the name of democracy, it is unfortunate. I think this is something that undermines democracy,” Khurshid stated.

“I would certainly hope and expect that better wisdom will prevail in this matter.”

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Police arrest 12 after white underpants hung outside Rasdhoo Magistrate Court

Police have arrested 12 persons on the island of Rasdhoo in Alif Alif Atoll late on Wednesday night, after a pair of large white underpants were hung outside the entrance to the island’s Magistrate Court.

According to a source on Rasdhoo, the white pair of underpants was hung on a rope strung across the street in front of the court offices at about 5:00pm on Wednesday, “barely three inches away from the entrance, but nevertheless not in the court’s premises itself”.

The white pants are a reference to recently-leaked videos of Supreme Court (SC) judge Ali Hameed apparently fornicating with unidentified foreign women in a Colombo hotel room, and have become a symbol of protests against the Supreme Court’s suspension of Saturday’s highly anticipated presidential election.

“Police from the Rasdhoo station started work to remove the underpants at around 7:00pm, prompting a immediate gathering of over a hundred people near the police office,” a source from the island told Minivan News on condition of anonymity.

He said that the gathered people shouted at the police for removing the underpants: “Is the underwear the only illegal thing you could find on the street?” shouted some.

“You can remove the underpants from this island’s court, but you do nothing about the ones sitting on the Supreme Court bench,” called others.

Eyewitnesses said the police resorted to the use of pepper spray and physical force to disperse the crowd.

Another pair of underpants was again hung in front of the Magistrate Court later the night.

Locals say that a back-up police team – nearly 30 officers in full riot gear – came to the island around midnight to remove the new pair of underpants.

Although no more confrontations occurred, 12 persons are now in police custody in Rasdhoo police station.

“Just after midnight, police summoned the magistrate himself and made him sign arrest warrants. First they arrested six people. They then spoke to a group of people from the island who are working with the PPM [Progressive Party of Maldives], and got their help to identify some of the most active MDP [Maldivian Democratic Party] campaigners, and arrested them too. That isn’t a new tactic for them anyway,” the source alleged.

Police Media Official Chief Inspector Hassan Haneef was not responding to calls at the time of press.

Protesting with underpants

MDP members have begun using underpants in various rallies and protests following the Supreme Court’s ordering the Elections Commission to halt preparations for the presidential election run-offs, which were initially scheduled for this coming Saturday (September 28).

A pair of white underpants hung at the Raalhugandu area – the party’s rally grounds – has the words “Judiciary ‘happy, happy’. Where are the citizens’ rights?”, referring to phrases from the video clips allegedly showing Ali Hameed fornicating with multiple foreign women.

At Wednesday night’s rally, a cake decorated to look like a person wearing white underpants was also seen at the rally grounds, sporting the words “Happy Birthday, Fandiyaaru (Judge) Ali Hameed”.

During the first protests after the court issued the order on September 23, a group of protesters were observed hanging a large pair of white underpants on a police barricade placed across Chandhanee Magu in capital city Male’.

While the protests against the Supreme Court on September 23 prior to the issuance of the order showed people holding posters of still shots from the leaked videos, on Tuesday protesters carried cartoons depicting scenes from the film.

The placards and posters expressed the lack of respect the protesters have for the courts due to “disgraced judges accused of indecent behaviour and fornication sitting on the bench.”

Cartoons, images, and caricatures of Judge Ali Hameed and the white underpants are spreading around social media. One such image shows a Maldivian flag with a white pair of underpants replacing the white crescent in the centre.

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Supreme Court issues injunction indefinitely delaying election run-off

The Maldives Supreme Court has issued an injunction delaying the second round of the presidential election until it has finished looking into alleged discrepancies in the first round.

The second round had been scheduled for this coming Saturday – September 28.

“Based on Article 144 (b), we order the Elections Commission and other relevant state institutions to delay the second round of the presidential election scheduled for 28 September 2013 until the Supreme Court issues a verdict in this case,” read the Supreme Court injunction.

The ruling was discussed by all judges on the seven member bench, before being signed by Justice Abdulla Saeed, Justice Ali Hameed Mohamed, Justice Adam Mohamed Abdulla, and Justice Dr Abdulla Didi.

The decision came today just hours after Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) members held a demonstration outside the Supreme Court, brandishing stills from one of the numerous sex-tapes allegedly involving Justice Hameed.

The MDP – the party with the most votes in the first round, with 45.45 percent – reconvened the People’s Majlis in order to push for the reconstitution of the Supreme Court bench.

“We will not allow a courthouse that consists of some disgraced judges who face allegations of lewd conduct to abrogate the will of the people and disrupt the constitution,” the MDP said in a statement last week.

Despite chaotic scenes inside the Majlis yesterday, the party was able to push through a motion today calling for the second round to go ahead as scheduled.

MDP MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor has said he was not surprised by the decision.

“The Supreme Court has gone against all common sense, international opinion and the majority of the country without any evidence to do so,” he said.

Ghafoor added that any indefinite postponement of the second round vote was unrealistic, while claiming the decision had been made by the court without any real evidence to support its decision.

The MDP said it was too early for the party to announce how it would seek to move forward on the basis of the court’s verdict today, though he said it would “likely involve direct action.”

A meeting of the party’s National Council has been announced for 10:30pm at Male’ City Hall.

Constitutional?

The court accepted the case six days ago, after the Jumhooree Party (JP) – which placed third in the first round – filed a case to annul the vote, alleging multiple discrepancies and fraud.

In a week’s worth of hearings, the complainant has still to produce concrete evidence, with the Election Commission’s lawyer – former Attorney General – Husnu Al Suood likening the case to a “fishing expedition”, alleging the JP was hoping to file another lawsuit based on any evidence collected from the current case.

The JP has rejected any assumption that an indefinite postponement to the country’s election may lead to political instability in the nation.

JP Deputy Leader Dr Ibrahim Didi said that ensuring a free and fair election was ultimately the most important factor in assuring stability within the Maldives and a “sustainable democracy” going forward.

“Political stability depends on political leaders’ actions, reactions and their party’s activities,” he said.

Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) presidential candidate Abdulla Yameen, who was set to stand against MDP candidate Mohamed Nasheed in the run-off vote, told Minivan News there was “nothing unconstitutional” with the court verdict.

“The Elections Commission got the opportunity to argue out their case and establish the credibility of the process,” he told Minivan News.

Yameen, who came second in the first round vote with 25 percent, said the country “should elect” a president soon.

“There’s time for that.  In [the presidential election of] 2008, voting was held on October 28,” he said, arguing that a postponement would not lead to any form of political instability.

Article 144 (b) of the constitution, titled ‘powers in constitutional matters’ states that, when deciding a constitutional matter within its jurisdiction, a court may make any order that is “just and equitable”, including:

“An order suspending the declaration of invalidity (of a statute, regulation or action due to inconsistency with the Constitution) for any period and on any conditions, to allow the competent authority to correct the defect.”

Elections Commissioner Fuwad Thowfeek previously told Minivan News that the constitutional timetable for the transfer of power could not be met should the run-off be delayed.

“120 days before the end of the current president’s term a presidential election must be held. If there is no election then the [democratic] constitution, presidential and general election law will not be satisfied,” he said.

Despite the vehement criticism from sections of the media, civil society and the JP, the conduct and capability of the EC has been universally lauded by international observers.

After Commonwealth Special Envoy, Sir Donald McKinnon, this weekend joined in calls for the September 28 run-off to go ahead as schedule, the Maldives Foreign Office warned international observers to “help, not hinder” the state’s institutions.

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Busting black magic on Guraidhoo

Aishath Moomina, a janitress at Kaafu Atoll Guraidhoo Island School, was attending to her usual early morning sweeping duties on September 3, when she found a kihaa (young coconut) with Arabic inscriptions buried outside the school gates.

Only a few days remained for the first round of presidential polls and ballot booths were to be set up at the school. That very same day, Moomina started to feel uncharacteristically tired and her skin started to burn.

“That’s when I knew it was black magic. This [black magic] happens every time there is an election,” she told Minivan News.

Guraidhoo, located 30 kilometers south of Malé and home to the country’s only home for people with special needs, is now at the centre of an election-related fanditha or black magic controversy. Since the discovery of the kihaa, various items with Qura’nic verses have been found in Guraidhoo School and throughout the island.

As a run-off election scheduled between the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) approaches on September 28, “cursed objects” have popped up in Fuvahmulah, Hithadhoo, Kudahuvadhoo and Velidhoo Islands.

Though the first round of polls went well, Moomina said that several students have had fainting spells, seizures, and have started to exhibit symptoms such as incoherent muttering, fainting, uncontrollable crying and tiredness.

On Sunday (September 22), Minivan News went to Guraidhoo Island to speak to residents on fanditha’s effect on the vote, finding a wide-spread deep belief in the supernatural, which combined with a tense presidential poll, has increased paranoia within the community.

This has spurred a group of men to actively patrol the two schools where polling booths will be placed and conduct a drive to undo the effects of fanditha.

Vote madness

The intense rivalry between political parties is evident on Guraidhoo’s narrow streets. The MDP’s yellow, the PPM’s pink and Jumhooree Party’s red flags fight for space, while political party campaign offices blast campaign songs at ear-drum shattering volume. Many islanders spoke of family members falling out and long-time neighbors refusing to speak to one another due to differences in political ideologies.

“There is a lot of turmoil in the island. People have gone mad for the vote,” said Faristha, a 47-year-old woman who discovered three Qurans buried in the lagoon. She believes the three Qurans buried in Guraidhoo’s lagoons are powerful black magic, as tradition dictates that the Quran only be disposed of in the open ocean or fast-flowing rivers.

“Black magic exists. If you believe in Allah and the prophet, then you must believe in djinns and black magic. The Quran says they exist. No man in their sane mind would throw away the Qurans like that,” she said waving her arms in anger.

Black magic is a crime punishable by death under the Islamic Shariah. While there are no legal sanctions or penalties against black magic in the written laws and regulations, the Maldives Police Services had arrested MDP activists and raided MDP protest camps on suspicion of black magic following the controversial transfer of power of February 2012.

With the proliferation of cursed objects, the Islamic Ministry released a sermon on Friday proclaiming black magic to be among the most evil of sins.

Black magic busters

Hassan Shuzeym, 35, is an artist, a caretaker at Guraidhoo’s Home for People with Special Needs, and now leader of the drive to undo black magic. Sitting at one of Guraidhoo’s newly opened guesthouses, the slim, dark-skinned Shuzeym told us how he organizes a 20-man patrol from dusk til dawn in order to ensure cursed objects are no longer buried at the schools.

A culture of performing black magic to coerce love or for personal gain had always existed on the island, Shuzeym told us over cigarettes and coffee. But black magic to influence votes on a large scale was new, he said.

“This magic is being done to change people’s hearts about their votes. But it’s only affecting the students who study at the school. We want to minimize the harm caused to people from the black magic.”

Shuzeym and his friends dig up objects and perform counter spells to cancel out their magic.

“In places where it is too dangerous to dig them out, we read surahs (chapters) of the Quran and sprinkle water on the area to cancel out their powers,” he said.

When asked how they knew where to look for cursed objects, Shuzeym told us with a mysterious look, “I can only tell you it is not with the help of humans.”

With their black-magic busting work, patrolling and observation teams, Shuzeym is confident the vote would be safe from all external influences.

As we left the guesthouse, we encountered a young MDP supporter who stopped us. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the young man told us he and his friends had performed one of the “black magic acts” that had created a furor in the island.

“I think the coconut is a fake, I believe black magic exists, but that coconut didn’t look real. I think it is by those who oppose us to intimidate us, so we spilled lots of water around all the entrances around both schools, just for a joke. We did not think anyone would take us seriously,” he said.

However, upon discovering water at the entrances, the janitors at Guraidhoo School stopped all students from entering the school premises until the school’s headmaster arrived and permitted them to do so.

“In the end, even if the coconut is fake, it has only been positive. We have more security for the vote,” the young man added.

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Parliament resolution to ‘ensure election’ passed with show of hands, amid protest by pro-government MPs

A resolution submitted by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) calling on all state institutions to ensure that the second round of the presidential election is held as scheduled was passed at an extraordinary session of parliament today, amid disorderly protests by MPs of the government-aligned Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and Jumhooree Party (JP).

The resolution was read out by MDP MP Ali Waheed over loud protests and whistle and horn-blowing by pro-government MPs. The special sitting – held during the ongoing recess upon request of 29 MPs – was adjourned shortly thereafter by Speaker Abdulla Shahid due to disorder in the chamber caused by PPM and JP MPs gathered in front of his desk.

When the sitting resumed at 1:00pm to vote on the resolution, PPM and JP MPs were occupying the Speaker’s chair as well as the secretariat desk. The vote was called by Speaker Shahid – surrounded by security guards – standing in front of the chamber well and passed with a show of hands.

According to MP Ali Waheed, the resolution was passed with 37 votes in favour. The MPs occupying the Speaker’s space and secretariat desk appeared not to participate in the vote.


Following the adjournment of the sitting this morning, MDP MPs alleged on social media that MP Ahmed Amir – a member of the Maldives Development Alliance (MDA), which is currently backing PPM presidential candidate MP Abdulla Yameen – poured water on and damaged the parliament sound system.

The MDP resolution adopted by parliament today meanwhile states that the second round run-off scheduled for September 28 should “not be delayed for any reason” and called for all state institutions to cooperate with the Elections Commission (EC) in adherence with constitutionally-stipulated deadlines for the presidential election.

Moreover, the resolution stated that the parliament’s security services or ‘241’ committee would oversee the actions of the police and military with regard to the second round of the presidential election to be held next Saturday.

The resolution was passed while a Supreme Court case initiated by the JP seeking the annulment of the September 7 election is ongoing, with the fifth hearing taking place today.

Chaos in the chamber

Today’s sitting took place after two previous attempts yesterday was disrupted by PPM and JP MPs who blew on whistles and a vuvuzela and gathered in front of the Speaker’s desk.

Yesterday’s sitting in the morning was adjourned after Speaker Shahid’s microphone was vandalised during the disruption.

The sitting resumed at 9:00pm but could not proceed due to similar disorder caused by PPM and JP MPs protesting in front of the Speaker’s desk.

Videos meanwhile emerged on social media showing PPM MP Abdul Raheem Abdulla using obscene language against Speaker Shahid and insulting his mother during the morning session.

Following the cancellation of the 9:00pm session, the MDP-aligned Raajje TV showed video of JP MP Ilham Ahmed, also the party’s deputy leader, take out what appeared to be pliers from his pocket and cut a cable.

Local media reported that PPM MP Abdul Raheem Abdulla and JP MP Shifaq Mufeed were injured in scuffles that broke out between pro-government and MDP MPs at last night’s sitting. The former was reportedly treated at ADK hospital last night.

Despite their apparent injuries both MPs were seen actively protesting at this morning’s session.

Speaking at a press conference last night, PPM vice presidential candidate Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed contended that the MDP was attempting to “cover up irregularities of the first round” of the presidential election on through the parliament.

PPM MP Abdul Azeez Jamal Abubakur told press outside parliament today that the party believed MDP’s resolution was unlawful as it involved an ongoing court case, and suggested that the Supreme Court would rule that it was unconstitutional.

Both Dr Jameel and MP Abdul Azeez alleged that the first round of the polls was rigged in the MDP’s favour, claiming that the 95,224 votes (45.45 percent) its candidate former President Mohamed Nasheed received included fraudulent votes.

Meanwhile, in a letter to MPs published on the parliament website following the incidents last night, Speaker Shahid wrote that yesterday’s attempts to proceed with the sitting were unsuccessful due to “numerous acts in violation of the People’s Majlis’ regulations.”

“In particular, the sitting could not proceed because [computer] systems, cameras and cables in the Majlis chamber were damaged with sharp objects on a number of occasions,” the Speaker’s letter stated, expressing concern with the actions of MPs.

The Speaker added that “assault, damaging Majlis property, and intimidating Majlis staff” was “unacceptable” conduct as the parliament was an institution where disputes should be peacefully resolved through discussion and dialogue.

Meanwhile, a car in the garage of Speaker Shahid’s residence was set on fire in the early hours of Monday morning. Local media reported that the car belonged to Shahid’s brother.

Shahid told newspaper Haveeru that CCTV footage showed a man with his face covered pour petrol and set the car alight, describing it as “an act of intimidation” intended to incite political unrest.

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AG’s election intervention constitutional, yet morally questionable: senior legal source

Attorney General (AG) Azima Shukoor’s intervention in a Supreme Court case against the Elections Commission (EC) is constitutional, despite questions over the “moral grounds” for her involvement, a senior legal expert with experience working in government has said.

AG Azima last week intervened in a Supreme Court case filed by the Jumhooree Party (JP) seeking the annulment of the September 7 presidential election.

While the AG herself is not reported to be seeking an annulment of the first round of voting, she has asked the country’s apex court to order the prosecutor general and the police to investigate alleged electoral fraud after noting “serious issues”.

With no constitutional clause requiring the the AG’s involvement in the case, the intervention was made at the personal discretion of Azima, according to the confidential legal source.

The first round of voting has been met with unanimous confidence from local NGOs and international election observers over the credibility of the polls, amidst calls for the the second round of voting to proceed as scheduled.

The run-off vote is presently scheduled to be contested on September 28, between former President Mohamed Nasheed of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and second placed candidate Abdulla Yameen of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).

“Public interest”

The source – who has served in a senior legal capacity under the last two governments – maintained that the AG was entitled to enter a case she personally deemed to be in the “public interest”.

However, with Azima representing the government, whose incumbent President Dr Mohamed Waheed secured five per cent of the vote in the first round of polls, the legal source said some of his peers were questioning the AG’s mandate to seemingly take sides in the JP’s case.

“Having spoken with other lawyers, how would the AG, who represents a candidate with only five percent of the public vote, decide what is in the public interest [in regards to the election case]? The AG can decide what is in the public interest, but I do not believe she has sufficient moral grounds to do so [with this case],” the source argued.

The same source added that the AG’s role in the ongoing Supreme Court case was complicated by the Maldives’ present lack of general rules or legislation regulating issues such as conflict of interest and similar ethical issues within the court system.

“Problem with the AG is that she is currently the authority on ethics of other lawyers and when to reprimand them,” the legal figure added. “We also lack a legal and judicial culture to really appreciate the idea of professional ethics.”

“No comment”

Rather than appearing to back the grievances of the JP, the senior legal figure said the correct procedure for the AG would have been to provide ‘”no comment” to the court when asked about the capability of the EC.

The source pointed to previous conduct of the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) in a case, where the institution had been asked to defend the Maldives Police Service against allegations of arresting people outside of correct procedure.

With the High Court requesting the PGO to answer for police in the case, state prosecutors – concerned the MPS may be at fault – opted to provide a ‘no comment’ on the matter.

The legal source claimed that such a move – based on best practices from across the international community – allowed the courts to infer that police had acted outside of regulations without the PGO taking a side on the matter.

The legal figure also said that, although the AG was permitted to take a side in the case, she should not vocally back a specific party.

AG denies taking sides

Speaking during a Supreme Court hearing on September 18, Attorney General Azima told the court that the state was not taking sides in the legal dispute.

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) decided on Friday (September 20) are currently pursuing a no-confidence motion against Azima, as well as for a change the composition of the Supreme Court bench.

The MDP had  previously accused the Azima of advocating against “the interests of a state institution or the state and in favour of the Jumhooree Party’s self-interest.”

The AG, however, repeated her claims that the her office had come across discrepancies in the voter registry published by the EC prior to the election.

“There were names of underage people in the list. There were names repeated in the list. Unless these issues are resolved before holding the second round of the elections, rights of many voters will be undermined,” Shukoor told the court.

AG Azima and Deputy AG Ahmed Usham were not responding to requests for information at time of press.

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Prosecution calls for for retrial of Deputy Speaker’s corruption case

The High Court has concluded hearings into a case in which Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) MP and Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ahmed Nazim stands accused of defrauding the now defunct Atolls Ministry, a scam worth US$260,000 (MVR 3,446,950).

The case was first filed at the Criminal Court which ruled that Nazim’s actions were not sufficient to criminalise him. The case was appealed in the High Court by the Prosecutor General.

The Prosecutor General’s lawyers today told the High Court that Nazim used the staff of his Namira firm as tools in the scam, after the staff told the investigation that they did not know of the existence of the unregistered companies used by Nazim.

According to media outlets present at the hearing the PG’s lawyers requested the High Court order the Criminal Court to cancel the previous verdict and conduct a retrial.

Nazim’s lawyers meanwhile said it was unfair that the state was charging only Nazim in the case, despite the allegations that the staff had acted as accomplices. Nazim’s lawyers also accused the state of trying to defame Nazim.

The judges presiding over the case concluded the hearing announcing that this would be the last hearing unless the court needed any clarification.

At a press conference in August 2009, Chief Inspector Ismail Atheef said police had uncovered evidence that implicated Nazim in fraudulent transactions worth over US$260,000 (MVR 3,446,950).

Police exhibited numerous quotations, agreements, tender documents, receipts, bank statements and forged cheques they stated proved that Nazim had received over US$400,000 in the case.

A hard disk seized during a raid of Nazim’s office in May the same year allegedly contained copies of forged documents and bogus letterheads.

Fraud charges were also filed against Atolls Minister Abdullah Hameed (half brother of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom) and Eydhafushi MP Ahmed “Redwave” Saleem, former director of finance at the ministry who were implicated in the same case.

Police further alleged that MP Saleem actively assisted from the atoll ministry while Nazim’s wife Zeenath Abdullah had abused her position as a manager of the Bank of Maldives’ Villingili branch to deposit proceeds of the fraudulent conspiracy.

Police said Hameed played a key role in the fraud by handing out bids without public announcements, making advance payments using cheques against the state asset and finance regulations, approving bid documents for unregistered companies and discriminatory treatment of bid applicants.

During the original trial held at the Criminal Court the then-employees of Namira testified under oath that they were instructed by Nazim to bid for the projects – however, the presiding judge concluded from their testimonies that they were responsible for the procurement fraud and therefore dismissed the testimonies against Nazim on all counts.

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Extraordinary Majlis session cancelled amid chaos, vandalism in chamber

An extraordinary meeting of the People’s Majlis was cancelled today after Speaker Abdulla Shahid’s microphone was vandalised during a Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) and Jumhooree Party (JP)-led effort to disrupt parliamentary proceedings.

Twenty-nine MPs of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) had asked Shahid to schedule an extraordinary sitting claiming certain politicians were “destroying constitutional tenets and straying from the path of democracy”, as the JP seeks to annul the first round of September’s presidential polls in the Supreme Court.

Vilifushi MP Riyaz Rasheed and Gemanafushi MP Ilham Ahmed blew on whistles and vuvuzelas as PPM and JP members raised numerous points of order and shouted “rigged vote.”

Shahid took a short break at 10:00am to speak with Parliamentary Group leaders, but was unable to reconvene the session after a cable on his table microphone was cut.

The MDP – which placed first with 45.45 percent of the vote – has said it will table a no confidence motion against Attorney General Azima Shakoor after she intervened in support of the JP and change the composition of the Supreme Court bench.

The MDP and its recent ally the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) control a majority in the Majlis with a combined strength of 39 of the 77 MPs.

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TV cables worth MVR 50,000 (US$3242) vandalised on Guraidhoo

A group of people have vandalised TV cables worth MVR 50,000 (US$3242) on the island of Guraidhoo in Kaafu Atoll.

An islander who spoke to Minivan News on condition of anonymity told Minivan News the TV cables were set up on the island by the Guraidhoo Youth NGO to provide foreign channels to the islanders. The source alleged the cables were vandalised after members of the NGO refused to comply with a PPM request to join them.

‘’The young people in the NGO are very neutral and they do not want to get involved in to any political activities,’’ he said. ‘’A few days ago they were asked to join the PPM and they refused to do so.’’

He said the NGO had tried to fix the damage but said it was beyond repair.

‘’Today the NGO president will come to the island and when he comes he will bring parts we need to repair it,’’ the source said.

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