ppm – Page 62 – Minivan News

Maldives may reconsider Commonwealth membership

The Maldives government has said it may “consider” its membership in the Commonwealth in the future after the body’s Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) repeated calls for early elections in the country.

President Waheed’s spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza told Minivan News today that although the government was not currently looking to re-assess the country’s role as a member of the intergovernmental organisation, it was concerned over the language used in a statement by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) on Friday.

“The government is concerned at the language that has been used by the Commonwealth [in the latest statement] and we condemn it. The foreign minister has conveyed this as well,” he said. “If this language continues, we will look to consider our position [in the Commonwealth].”

Riza added that the government would also forward its concerns about the language of the CMAG statement to the Commonwealth’s Special Envoy, Sir Donald McKinnon, who arrived in the Maldives on Friday.

Commonwealth role

Debate over the role of the Commonwealth in the Maldives has intensified over the last week following the political uncertainty generated by the ongoing controversy over the transfer of power that saw Dr Waheed replace Mohamed Nasheed as president on February 7, 2012.

In Friday’s statement, CMAG said it “continued to be strongly of the view that the earliest possible expression of the will of the people was required to establish universal faith in the legitimacy of those who govern the [Maldives].”

The government has since responded that discussions, road map talks, and other constitutional amendments designed to set out plans for any early elections remained an “internal issue”. Riza therefore called on the Commonwealth to refrain from issuing further statements with “language like that”.

Speaking yesterday about the elections calls, Foreign Minister Dhunya Maumoon said that CMAG, which serves as the Commonwealth’s democracy and human rights arm, had shown some bias in its comments. However, she added that the statement had been positive about some of the government’s initiatives to try stabilise the country’s fractured political structure.

“The statement somewhat promotes the interests of a certain party or a certain individual. But I don’t want to say that exactly. Because there are many statements that are positive towards the government,” the foreign minister told reporters.

Majlis concerns

Meanwhile, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has said it will continue to try and prevent the Majlis from functioning until a date for early elections is set.

The CMAG had raised concerns regarding the obstruction of parliament by MDP MPs during the opening on March 1. It expressed regret over the disruption of parliament on March 1 and urged “all parties to engage in dialogue without delay, in earnest and in good faith with a view to achieving agreement on the date of early elections”.

MDP spokesperson, Hamid Abdul Ghafoor said continuing to try and block the Majlis was a “thorny issue,” but believed the party could viably continue its attempts to block parliament.

He added that from the party’s perspective, it had little choice but to continue to try and prevent parliament from holding its opening position to “protect” the integrity of the Majlis.

“The moment we allow a coup leader to address parliament, the public will begin to question the integrity of the Majlis,” he claimed.

Former President Nasheed told his supporters that he himself planned to be on the front lines of the protests outside the reconvened Majlis session tomorrow and claimed that authorities “would have to shoot him” before they could proceed with the opening.

Constitutional requirement

The government maintains the allowing the Majlis to open and Dr Waheed to speak to parliament was a constitutional requirement and not related to calls for Waheed to concede early elections.

In addressing the MDP’s comments, Abbas Adil Riza said that the Majlis operated as a separate entity from the president and therefore calls to hold fresh elections were not related to allowing parliament to function.

Riza added that the government was therefore calling on former President Nasheed to “stop advocating violence” particularly among young people, in regards to blocking the Majlis and opposing the government.

“More than 200 youths currently face charges for torching public buildings since February 8,” he added.

Though Riza said that the public would be free to gather on some of the capital’s roads to protest, he added that inside the parliament chamber, it was for the Speaker of the Majlis, Abdulla Shahid, and not the government to ensure parliament functioned correctly.

The government spokesperson added that just as under the government of Mohamed Nasheed, the speaker had control of 60 Majlis guards that had the power to remove disruptive elements from the parliamentary floor.

Despite CMAG’s criticism of efforts to block parliament from functioning, Ghafoor claimed that international calls from groups like the Commonwealth for early elections and constitutional reforms showed that there were questions to be answered over the legitimacy of the present government.

“We do not believe Dr Waheed to be a legitimate leader,” he said. “The MDP’s position is to try and find a political situation to agree on an election date and the corresponding constitutional reforms required to do this before opening parliament. This was highlighted and agreed by MDP members, but rejected by the opposition.”

Ghafoor claimed that the MDP has been working with the government and opposition politicians to try and secure an end to the current political deadlock. However, the spokesperson claimed that Parliamentary Group leader Ibrahim Mohamed ‘Ibu’ Solih, has previously expressed concern that Dr Waheed was not open to finding a potential solution on a timetable for elections.

Opposition parties including the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) and the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) have so far withdrawn from the roadmap talks aimed at finding a political solution to the current upheaval in protest at the MDP blocking parliament earlier this month.

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Rival parties request Male’ space after council grants MDP Tsunami Monument area

Rival political parties have requested private protest areas around the capital after Male’ City Council allowed the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) to keep a camp at the Tsunami Monument area to until June.

The Jumhoory Party (JP), led by MP ‘Burma’ Gasim Ibrahim, has sent a letter to the Mayor of Male’, ‘Maizan’ Ali Manik ,requesting he give the party vacant land near the State Trading Organization (STO) for a year.

A statement on the official JP website said that the letter was sent by Party Spokesperson Moosa Rameez.

The statement noted that the Tsunami Monument area had been given to Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), where the party has since setup a protest camp.

Meanwhile, the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) has said it has requested that Male’ City Council provide it the Artificial Beach for one year and eight months in order to conduct their own activities.

Speaking to local media, Abdul Raheem Abdulla of the PPM said that there was no reason that the council should not give the Artificial Beach to the party because it had already given the Tsunami Monument area to MDP.

The JP statement also confirmed that the PPM sent a letter requesting it be given the Artificial Beach area.

Three days ago, Male City Council extended the duration given to Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) to continue its protest at the tsunami monument area.

The council first gave the area to MDP until the end of March, but then extended this period after a request from the party.

Male’ City Mayor ‘Maizan’ Ali Manik today told Minivan News that the council has received the letters.

”The council will now decide on the matter,” he said.

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Government dismisses Commonwealth’s “biased” early election calls, fears “civil war”

The Maldives government has dismissed the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG)’s call for early general elections as biased, claiming the nation is not capable of holding a free and fair vote at present.

The CMAG on Friday reiterated its call for early elections after former President Mohamed Nasheed accused the government of his successor, Mohamed Waheed Hassan, of coming to power in a “coup d’etat.”

CMAG said it strongly believed “that the earliest possible expression of the will of the people was required to establish universal faith in the legitimacy of those who govern the [Maldives].”

However, at a press conference today, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Dhunya Maumoon criticised CMAG’s statement, which she alleged served to promote the interests of specific parties or individuals.

The state minister added that she was “astonished” by CMAG’s continued call for early elections, calling the transfer of power to President Mohamed Waheed Hassan as “legitimate”.

Early elections in the Maldives without sufficient parliamentary-mandated reform could potentially lead to “civil war,” she said.

“We have to build a peaceful and secure atmosphere. We have to strengthen our institutions so that they are independent. Otherwise, I have no doubt that if we hold elections, the political situation of the country will deteriorate further. It is already quite divided. If there is an election, and if some people do not accept the election results, I cannot say there won’t be a civil war. I do not want to see such a thing happen in the Maldives,” she said.

Dhunya added that no other international body other than the Commonwealth has expressed concern over the current political uncertainty in the Maldives.

The EU has also raised issues over judicial reform and the exact nature of how President Waheed come to power last month.

“My hope is that the UN and other neighboring countries help the Maldives on its request. Not for them to impose their interests on us,” she added.

The government will also support the Commonwealth’s Special Envoy to the Maldives Sir Donald McKinnon, she said.

Positive aspects

However, she conceded that CMAG’s statement wasn’t entirely “biased” against the current government’s actions, claiming it was positive about some aspects of the executive’s work.

“There are many statements that are positive towards the government, such as the initiative for all-party talks, and other statements. Also, they have expressed concern on the obstruction of parliamentary proceedings,” the state minister added.

The State Minister for Foreign Affairs comments were reportedly shared by PPM MP Abdul Raheem Abdulla, who yesterday accused CMAG of favouring certain political parties in the country and failing to recognise the need for wider judicial reform as part of all-party road map talksdesigned to secure fair presidential elections.

A coalition of political parties including the PPM and DRP have boycotted the road map talks, designed to overcome the current political stalemate at present, in response to the Maldivian Democratic Party blocking a parliamentary sitting earlier this month that prevented President Mohamed Waheed Hassan from delivering his inaugural speech.

The MDP maintains that President Waheed came to power in a “coup d’etat” sponsored by opposition figures, certain business leaders and sections of the military and police force, leading to calls for early elections to settle the dispute that saw President Mohamed Nasheed “resign” from office. Nasheed later alleged he had been forced into resigning under military pressure.

Abdulla told reporters gathered at yesterday’s press conference that CMAG’s calls for early elections were unrealistic without securing further talk on amendments to the country’s constitution and judiciary – issues he said would be vital in ensuring an “appropriate environment” for elections.

“I also note that their [CMAG’s] statement is biased and that it harbours the interests of a particular individual” he was quoted as saying.

PPM members Ahmed Mahloof and Ahmed Nihan were unavailable for comment when contacted by Minivan News at the time of going to press over the exact nature of the judicial and constitutional reforms called for by MP Abdulla.

Adding that the roadmap talks were designed to establish the correct preparations for any early elections, Abdulla claimed that CMAG should be issuing statements free from “predjudice” that would serve the interests of the whole nation rather than certain individuals, Haveeru reported.

CMAG investigation

Following a fact-finding mission in February and an extraordinary meeting on the situation in London, the Commonwealth suspended the Maldives from participation in CMAG and called for an internationally-assisted independent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the change of government on February 7.

The Commonwealth also expressed concern about early efforts on behalf of Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s new government to arrest former President Nasheed, following the issuing of an arrest warrant in the immediate days following the change of power.

In its most recent statement, CMAG expressed regret over the disruption of parliament on March 1, and “urged all parties to engage in dialogue without delay, in earnest and in good faith with a view to achieving agreement on the date of early elections, and the processes required to do so, including any necessary constitutional amendments and supporting legislation.

“The Group also noted that the Commission of National Inquiry in Maldives had commenced its investigation into the events between 14 January and 8 February 2012, but that it had not secured cross-party support.

In this context, CMAG acknowledged that international assistance for the investigative mechanism has been requested, and noted that the Commonwealth could be of potential assistance. It reiterated its strong belief in the importance of the work of the Commission and the conviction this should carry in Maldives and internationally.”

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Police arrest 17 people on Thinadhoo in wake of February 8 protests

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam has confirmed the arrest of 17 people on Thinadhoo in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll, who were involved in vandalising property and creating unrest in the island on February 8.

‘’Those people are people whom we have pictures and video footage of their involvement in the incidents that day,’’ Shiyam said.

Shiyam said when police attempted to arrest some of the suspects, other islanders obstructed police.

‘’But now they are all cooperating with the police,’’ he said. ‘’All persons arrested will have all the rights guaranteed to them by law.’’

Shiyam said details of the detainees could not be given.

Thinadhoo Island Council President Ali Naseer told Minivan News that police started arresting Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) supporters yesterday.

‘’They deployed forces from Fuvamulah and Addu City and arrested 12 MDP supporters yesterday,’’ Naseer said. ‘’Today they have deployed more police officers from Male’ and have arrested nine MDP supporters.’’

Naseer claimed that the total number of persons arrested were 21.

‘’They are taking all the detainees to Villingili in Gaafu Alifu Atoll police custodial, but six arrested remains in Thinadhoo custodial,’’ Naseer said. ‘’Police are obtaining information from Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) supporters on this island and have not contacted any government institution in the island.’’

He said MDP supporters yesterday found out that police senior officers were having a meeting with PPM senior officials in the island and MDP supporters went there and there was a some unrest.

‘’This is very much politicised,’’ he claimed. ‘’The council tried to discuss the issue with the police but the police replied that they did not need to discuss with the council and that they have the authority to arrest persons.’’

He also said police were using vehicles owned by PPM supporters, which were recently used to attack MDP supporters in the island.

On February 8, 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 that time declared the area unsafe for local policemen as “MDP supporters have threatened to attack the residences of policemen.”

Thinadhoo is a fiercely independent island and has reportedly blocked police access to the jetty on several occasions since the civil unrest of February 8, sparked by a brutal police crackdown on protesters in Male’ and false rumours of deaths circulated in the aftermath

Independence remains a sensitive subject for the southern atolls, particularly Addu, which in 1959 led the formation of a short-lived break-away nation called the United Suvadive Republic, together with Huvadhu Atoll (including Thinadhoo) and Fuvahmulah.

This was crushed in 1962 when Thinadhoo was destroyed on the orders of then-President Ibrahim Nasir, and the island of 4800 depopulated.

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PPM members files two cases against Nasheed

Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM)’s two members have filed cases requesting the police to investigate into major breach of laws committed by former President Mohamed Nasheed during his short-lived tenure, local newspaper Haveeru has reported.

According to Haveeru, the first case filed by the two PPM members Ahmed “Maaz” Saleem and Ahmed Siddeeq include the alleged transgression against the judiciary by locking up of the Supreme Court in 2008, allowing police entry into Judicial Service Commission (JSC), illegally appointing JSC members, ordering the removal of the interim Chief Justice.

The other case is about the leasing of Male’ International Airport to India’s GMR in 2010 for 50 years.

Saleem claimed that the filing of the cases had been delayed as it was understood that Nasheed would not have allowed the police to carry out the investigations, reported Haveeru.

“After Nasheed has resigned all institutions have now become independent and without any political influence. Hence I have filed the case to carry out a probe in accordance with the law,” Haveeru quoted Saleem as saying.

Siddeeq meanwhile has said that further constitutional violations by the Former President is under evaluation and will be filed with the police for subsequent investigation.

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Gayoom: “I had no role in the change of government”, says no to early elections

Former President and Leader of Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has claimed “I had no role in the change of government”, while dismissing the accusations of his involvement in the ousting of his successor Mohamed Nasheed on February 7 as “baseless rumors”.

Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) alleges that Gayoom was at the centre organising what the party insists was a bloodless coup d’état in which elements of police and Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) were bribed to align with then-opposition demonstrators led by Gayoom’s PPM party forcing Nasheed to resign on February 7.

However, after returning to Maldives on Monday night from an unofficial trip to Malaysia, Gayoom defended himself claiming that “I had never attempted to over throw Nasheed’s government illegally or outside legal bounds”.

“I had no role in the change of government and such rumours are baseless,” Gayoom further claimed.

However, he noted that his party had protested within the legal bounds to resist unlawful acts of the government.

Meanwhile, Gayoom – whose 30-year-old rule came to an end after he lost the country’s first multiparty elections to Nasheed in 2008 – objected to MDP’s calls for early elections citing that the constitution gives “no room” for it.

He quoted the constitution’s stipulations which state elections must be held once in every five years or it shall be called if both the President and the Vice-President resign simultaneously or their offices become vacant at the same time.

Furthermore, noting that if the President resigns for any reason the constitution allows the Vice President to assume office and continue the remainder of his predecessor’s term – Gayoom said, “Waheed has been sworn in constitutionally”.

“Therefore, there is no room for an [early] election according to the constitution and in my opinion neither does politically.” Gayoom concluded, pledging full support to Waheed’s administration which is now run by a cabinet stacked with majority Gayoom loyalists.

Thousand of supporters of Gayoom gathered at the Republican Square and on the streets to welcome Gayoom, while Minivan News observed that security was elevated in the area and Gayoom was taken to his residence in a defence force car.

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Political party regulation is too vague: EC President

President of the Elections Commission (EC), Fuad Thaufeeq has said regulation under which political parties operate in the Maldives is too vague, when it comes to their requirements of party activity and membership.

Thaufeeq told Minivan News that the commission has drafted and submitted a bill dictating the operation of political parties in the Maldives.

Thaufeeq highlighted loopholes in the existing regulation on political parties, originally introduced by presidential decree by former president Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom in 2005.

The largest party in the Maldives is the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) of former President Mohamed Nasheed, following an acrimonious split of the Dhivehi Rayithunge Party (DRP) in late 2010 and the formation of an offshoot party, the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM), by Gayoom the following year.

DRP remains the second largest party in the country, and has competed for members with the PPM. The remaining parties in the Maldives are relatively small, have little representation in parliament, and relatively small based around usually one particular political figure. An exception is the religiously conservative Adhaalath Party, which has no MPs and few island councillors, but has a strong voice through the Islamic scholars who make up its membership.

Parties require 3000 members to be created, but this number does not need to be maintained: “There is no stipulation in the regulation highlighting the requirement of 3000 members,” said Thaufeeq.

“The regulations are very vague, because you require 3000 members to form a political party but after formation what happens with smaller parties is that the membership drops tremendously,” he explained. “There are parties which have less than a thousand members, and some with less those than 2000.”

The regulation did not explicitly mention that parties needed to maintain this membership in order to continue to receive political party funding from the EC, Thaufeeq explained.

In an audit report on the elections commission, the Auditor General recently advised the commission not to grant funds to inactive political parties. However, “As a principle, we usually give funds to any parties which are active and follow our requirements, such as producing an annual audit report of the party every year.”

“Whenever we hold the funds, the parties take the issue to the court. When the court orders us to pay the money, we don’t have any option but to release the funds,” Thaufeeq explained.

Asked on what basis the court is making the decision, he said “The court in its order states that the elections commission does not have the authority to withhold the funds of political parties.

“But I believe the commission has the authority to hold funds when we are not certain of how the funds are being used. This is the money from the people that we are giving out to the parties, and it shouldn’t be misappropriated,” Thaufeeq said.

According to Thaufeeq, funds for six politicial parties in the 2012 budget were withheld initially, but were released after proper monitoring. Thaufeeq said funds for the remaining two political parties cannot be released because the parties had not adhered to the commission’s requirements.

The Maldives National Congress (MNC), a political party with a current membership of 1536, has sent a letter to the Speaker of Parliament Abdulla Shahid regarding the matter, asking parliament to look into it.

However, Thaufeeq said that he and the commission had high hopes for the proposed political parties’ bill which was drafted by the Attorney General’s office and the commission.

“I believe the political parties’ bill currently in parliament will be the solution. We have included a stipulation in the bill requiring the maintaining of party membership at 3000, but the figure might change,” He said.

“We were hoping the bill would pass by the end of last year but there came in other bills of higher priority. Many MPs have assured us that when the parliament starts this year, the bill will be given high priority,” he said.

The ousted MDP currently has the largest membership of all political parties with a membership of 47,614 members. The Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) is the second largest political party in terms of membership with 29,143 members, followed by the newly formed Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) which has 14,271 members. President Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s party has approximately

Current political party membership:

Party membership as of February 27:

MDP 47,614 (Former President Mohamed Nasheed’s party)
DRP 29,143 (Gayoom’s former party, now headed by Ahmed Thasmeen Ali. Speaker Abdulla Shahid is also a member)
AP 6070 (Adhaalath Party, headed by Sheikh Imran. Spokesperson is Islamic Minister Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed)
IDP 3597 (Umar Naseer’s former party, prior to his move to the DRP and later PPM)
MSDP 1976
SLP 683
PP 1803
MNC 1536
JP 5177 (Party of Gasim Ibrahim, resort tycoon, VTV television station owner and member of the Judicial Services Commission).
PA 2608 (Party of Gayoom’s haf brother, Abdulla Yameen, and Deputy Speaker Mohamed Nazim)
GI 2625 (President Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s party)
MLP 938
DQP 2299 (President’s Special Advisor Dr Hassan Saeed’s party, also the party of Home Minister Dr Mohamed Jameel)
MRM 2606
PPM 14271 (Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s party, split from the DRP. Vice President of the party is Umar Naseer)

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MDP and PPM clash in Kulhudhufushi during former President’s visit

A group of pro-government supporters clashed on Monday with Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) supporters that went to Kulhudhufushi in Haa Dhaalu Atoll with former President Mohamed Nasheed.

According to Vice President of Kulhudhufushi Council Farooq Mohamed, a group of government supporters gathered at the harbor opposing the former president’s visit to the island.

“They gathered at the harbor before Nasheed arrived and started yelling that Nasheed would have to kill them all if he wanted to step on Kulhudhufuhsi,’’ Farooq said. “Then a boat full of MDP supporters arrived at the island and the government supporters threw stones and other things at the boat.’’

He said that MDP supporters and government supporters then clashed “and threw things at each other.”

“There were no major injuries reported but they vandalised one of the boats that arrived with MDP supporters,’’ Farooq said.

He also alleged that the police officers on the island sided with government supporters.

According to Kulhudhufushi’s online newspaper, supporters of the government tried to block former President Nasheed’s planned visit to the island and threw stones and water bottles at the boat that arrived to the island with supporters of MDP, prior to Nasheed’s arrival.

In a statement, police said that there was unrest in Kulhudhufushi when the former President arrived, but said it was controlled.

Several police officers who worked to control the unrest were injured, police said in the statement, adding that police were still active on the island to control unrest.

Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) Media Coordinator and MP Ahmed Nihan and PPM MP and Spokesperson Ahmed Mahlouf did not respond at time of press.

On January 25, 2011, Kulhudhufushi was the scene of the first cabinet meeting to be held outside Male’.

Nasheed’s cabinet discussed developing roads on the island, harbours, house construction, utilities and how to use recently reclaimed land on the island.

In October 2010 the dredging vessel Queen of the Netherlands increased the size of the island by a third within two weeks.

The growth of the island has left islanders a little disconcerted, Kulhudhuffishi Councillor Jamsheed Mohamed told Minivan News at the time.

“When we wake up in the morning, the island is bigger than we left it the night before,” Mohamed said.

Not everybody was pleased with the island’s expansion. Fisherman Mohamed Iqbal said the new harbour “is very far from where people live, which means that anybody wanting to buy fish has to walk a longer distance on Kulhudhuffushi than they ever have had to before.”

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Supreme Court disqualifies MDP MP Musthafa

The Supreme Court has disqualified former ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Mohamed Musthafa over a decreed debt which the court concluded makes him constitutionally ineligible to remain in the seat.

Monday’s ruling came following the case filed against Musthafa in July 2009 by opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) Vice President Umar Naseer, shortly after Musthafa won the election for Thimarafushi constituency against former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s son, Gassan Maumoon.

Umar Naseer contended that Musthafa had not still this date repaid a loan of US$31,231.66 (Rf481,952) borrowed from the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) according to the court order and therefore must be removed from Parliament for the violation of article 73(c)1.

According to the article 73(c) 1, “person shall be disqualified from election as, a member of the People’s Majlis, or a member of the People’s Majlis immediately becomes disqualified, if he: 1. has a decreed debt which is not being paid as provided in the judgement.”

The verdict came following a bench opinion which had an interesting split between the seven residing judges of the apex court, where four were in favour of removing Musthafa from the post as they deemed he was responsible for the decreed debt while the three remaining judges shared different views.

Two judges, including the Chief of Justice Ahmed Faiz concluded that it cannot be ruled Musthafa had a decreed debt as the loan had been taken on the name of Musthafa’s company Seafood and Trade International and added that in August 1997 the lower court had ordered the “company” to repay the loan.

Judge Muathasim Adnan meanwhile said that Musthafa and his company are two different legal entities and said the company’s decreed loan cannot be attributed to Musthfafa until a corporate veil is lifted.

Corporate veil is a legal decision to treat the rights or duties of a corporation as the rights or liabilities of its shareholders.

Following the ruling, former Attorney General Husnu Suood tweeted that the Supreme Court’s decision is “wrong”. He shared the view of Judge Adnan: “I think the debt is not his, but his company’s which in technical terms a separate legal person.”

Meanwhile, speaking at the MDP rally tonight Musthafa had dismissed the ruling as “unjust and politically motivated”.

He also vowed for a comeback announcing that he will contest for the same seat in the next elections and win. “Only former President Mohamed Nasheed can defeat me,” he claimed.

Suood says that Musthafa can compete in the bi-election after discharging the debt.

However, Musthafa insists that he won’t repay the loan, citing deceptions from the food supplier General Meat Ltd.

Musthafa has also threatened legal action against the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) in November if it did not pay the US$500,000 that the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) owed Seafood International.

Musthafa alleged that the sum was due to be paid to his company according to a 1991 London court ruling.

Citing MMA as the “live branch of BCCI in the Maldives,” Musthafa previously stated that “the debt of a dead person has to be paid by a living legal parent. If the MMA does not pay us within seven days we will sue the MMA in court and when we sue, we will ask the court to take the amount of money for the loss we have had for the past 20 years as a cause of not having this money.’’

The Supreme Court was due to rule on a case against Musthafa on October 20, 2010 however proceedings were interrupted when MDP called for a nation-wide protest against the judiciary during an emergency meeting.

Speaking to Minivan News at the time, MDP MP and spokesperson for the party’s Parliamentary Group, Mohamed Shifaz, said judges had been blackmailed and that the party would protest the politicised judiciary indefinitely.

Amid the government’s attempt to reform judiciary, when Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed was arrested by military on January 16, the opposition subsequently took up the protest baton and demanded the release of the judge – whose arrest set in motion the series of events that culminated into the resignation of former President Mohamed Nasheed on Febrary 7 in what he called was a coup.

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