Tag: Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb

Tourism unaffected by political turmoil, insists tourism minister

The local tourism industry has not been affected so far by the current political turmoil, Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb has said.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday (March 11), Adeeb said the current situation was not a crisis compared to a difficult period in early 2012 in the wake of former President Mohamed Nasheed’s resignation.

“What we went through then was a crisis with the pressure, problems, booking cancellations, and especially I believe the travel alerts issued then were alarming,” Adeeb said.

The government was not facing similar challenges at present, Adeeb said, adding that there have been no significant booking cancellations.

Arrivals data from February – during which the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party-Jumhooree Party alliance launched nightly protests and former Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim and former President Nasheed were arrested – have yet to be released by the tourism ministry.

Statistics from January meanwhile showed a 7.8 percent decline in arrivals on the back of a continuing decline in arrivals from China.

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MNDF dismisses claims of missing weapons

The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) has dismissed former Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim’s claims of missing weapons from the state armoury.

Nazim, currently standing trial for smuggling illegal weapons, claimed an MNDF Special Protection Group (SPG) officer lost a 9mm Browning pistol at Shangri-La resort in 2014.

The police had discovered a pistol of the same make and three bullets in a bedside drawer in the then-defence minister’s apartment during a midnight raid on January 18.

Nazim has since claimed rogue police officers planted the weapons at his home on Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb’s orders.

He has requested the Criminal Court to summon MNDF Corporal Ahmed Amir to prove a pistol was lost, and Head of Military Police Abdulla Zuhuree to prove an investigation was carried out over the incident.

However, in a statement today, the MNDF said the former defence minister’s claims were false: “We would like to assure the people of Maldives that the MNDF’s weapons inventory is up to date and no weapon is missing.”

If found guilty of smuggling weapons, Nazim faces a jail term of ten years.

Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb meanwhile said he was “shocked” by the defence team’s “lies.”

Adeeb said he regretted that the trial was becoming “politicised” and suggested that the ex-colonel’s lawyer, Maumoon Hameed, and not Nazim himself was responsible for the allegations.

Hameed did not have any experience in criminal defence, Adeeb said, suggesting that he might bear a grudge for not being appointed Prosecutor General last year.

In July 2014, parliament approved Muhthaz Muhsin as PG after PPM MPs decided to endorse the former Criminal Court judge despite the party’s leader, former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, urging ruling party MPs to vote for his nephew Maumoon Hameed.

The police have also dismissed allegations of framing Nazim.

Speaking in court on March 7, Hameed said the basis of the defence was that the evidence against Nazim was “fabricated” in order to “frame” him, alleging that Adeeb – also deputy leader of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) – had planned and orchestrated the setup.

Adeeb had threatened to “destroy” Nazim in a conference call with both the defence minister and home minister, Hameed said.

The threat came after Nazim lodged a complaint with President Abdulla Yameen alleging Adeeb had ordered police’s SWAT team to chop down all of Malé City’s Areca palms in October.

Home Minister Naseer has declined to comment on the threat.

Hameed told the press last week that a police forensic report shared with defence lawyers stated that fingerprints lifted from the weapon did not match either Nazim or any of his family members.

State prosecutors have also submitted documents on a pen drive allegedly confiscated along with the weapons to prove Nazim had the “motive and character” to use the weapons.

The plans indicated the former defence minister was planning to attack President Abdulla Yameen, Adeeb and Police Commissioner Hussein Waheed, prosecutors said.

Defence lawyers yesterday named President Yameen, Commissioner Waheed, Chief of Defence Forces Major General Ahmed Shiyam, Home Minister Naseer and several senior ranking police and military officers as witnesses to prove charges were fabricated in a conspiracy engineered by Adeeb.

The Criminal Court adjourned the hearing stating the court would decide whether to summon defence witnesses only if they appear to negate the prosecution’s evidence.

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Man armed with knife, hammer breaks into home minister’s apartment building

A man armed with a knife and a hammer broke into the apartment adjacent to Home Minister Umar Naseer’s apartment last night.

Naseer, in a tweet at 7:02am today, stated the man had entered into the apartment next door by breaking a window and fled when a woman living in the apartment screamed, leaving behind a knife and a hammer.

The Maldives Police Services have confirmed a break-in had been reported to the police at around 7:30pm on Wednesday night. Police are treating the break in as a case of attempted robbery. The police have also confiscated the knife and hammer found at the scene for further investigation.

The break-in comes amidst shocking allegations of rifts within President Abdulla Yameen’s cabinet. Recently dismissed Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim last week accused Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb of using rogue police officers to plant a pistol and three bullets in his apartment.

Nazim is currently in police custody standing trial for smuggling illegal weapons.

Adeeb had ordered Specialist Operations (SO) police officers to chop down all of Malé City’s Areca palms in October, he alleged. Nazim subsequently lodged a complaint with President Yameen, angering Adeeb, the former defence minister’s lawyers said in court on March 7.

Lawyers told the Criminal Court Adeeb threatened to “destroy” Nazim during a conference call with Naseer. The home minister had informed President Yameen of the threat at the time, he claimed.

Naseer declined to comment on the matter to local media.

Adeeb has hit back at the defence’s claims saying he was “shocked” by the “lies.”

Meanwhile,  MP Ahmed Mahloof requested the People’s Majlis national security committee to investigate President Abdulla Yameen’s July 2014 decision to reduce the home minister’s powers.

Mahloof – recently expelled from ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) – claimed President Yameen barred the home minister from initiating police investigations after he ordered the police to look into senior government officials using police platoons to commit criminal activities.

Article 16 of the Police Act allows the home minister to command individual police officers of any rank, and gives him powers equal to that of top police officials. However, the same article also states the president may limit these powers.

Newspaper Haveeru claimed that the presidential decision came after Naseer ordered police to investigate criminal accusations against Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb.

Speaking on pro-government DhiTV on Tuesday, Naseer said if he could influence an ongoing trial, he would “meddle” in the illegal weapons smuggling charge against Nazim.

But “trials must run their course,” he said, noting President Yameen’s policy was not to interfere in the judiciary.

“I’d like to tell Nazim’s supporters and his family, there are three stages in any trial. It doesn’t end with the Criminal Court,” he said.

He described Nazim as a very close friend and “a national hero” who had made invaluable services to the nation during a time of “immense difficulty.”

“I pray for justice for Nazim,” he said.

Nazim’s lawyer Maumoon Hameed yesterday asked the Criminal Court to summon Naseer as a witness in the illegal weapons trial to prove Adeeb had threatened the former defence minister.

State prosecutors at yesterday’s hearing claimed documents in a pen drive confiscated along with the weapons indicated Nazim was planning to attack President Yameen, Adeeb and Commissioner of Police Hussein Waheed.

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Adeeb framed Nazim after fallout over Malé City’s Areca palms, lawyers claim

Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb threatened to “destroy” former Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim two months before police raided the retired colonel’s apartment and discovered a pistol and bullets, Nazim’s lawyer has alleged.

Presenting the defence’s opening statement at today’s hearing of Nazim’s trial on charges of weapons possession, Maumoon Hameed claimed Nazim had found out in October last year that Specialist Operations (SO) police officers chopped down the city council’s areca palm trees on Majeedhee Magu on orders from Adeeb.

Upon learning that the defence minister had complained to President Abdulla Yameen of the incident, Hameed claimed Adeeb called and threatened Nazim in a conference call with Home Minister Umar Naseer.

Hameed said Naseer had expressed his displeasure regarding the threats in a text message to President Yameen.

The police professional standards command subsequently discovered that money was deposited to the bank accounts of the SO SWAT team officers, Hameed claimed.

Hameed said the SO officers learned of Nazim’s objections to the president and bore animosity towards the then-defence minister, alleging that the same officers involved in chopping down the areca palm trees comprised the SWAT team that raided Nazim’s apartment in the early hours of January 18.

Fabricated

During the opening statement, Judge Abdul Bari Yousuf repeatedly interrupted Hameed, advised the lawyer not to mention persons not involved in the case, and asked what the allegations had to do with the charges.

Hameed said the basis of the defence was that the evidence against Nazim was “fabricated” in order to “frame” him, alleging that Adeeb – also deputy leader of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) – had planned and orchestrated the setup.

Hameed told the press last week that a police forensic report shared with defence lawyers stated that fingerprints lifted from the weapon did not match either Nazim or any of his family members.

Adeeb had also called Nazim two days before the raid and asked where he lived and how many rooms were in his apartment, Hameed continued, noting that Adeeb had previously been to the apartment for tea.

Judge Bari suggested that Adeeb could have forgotten the address.

Shocked

Speaking to Minivan News today, Adeeb said he was “very shocked” to hear of the serious allegations, which he dismissed as “all lies” and “very weak”.

Adeeb said he regretted that the trial was becoming “politicised” and suggested that the ex-colonel’s lawyer and not Nazim himself was responsible for the allegations.

Nazim was a close friend, he added, and the pair had discussed official matters up until the former Defence Minister’s arrest.

Adeeb noted that Nazim did not mention any of the allegations at a press conference after his dismissal from the cabinet.

Hameed did not have any experience in criminal defence, Adeeb continued, suggesting that he might bear a grudge for not being appointed Prosecutor General last year.

In July 2014, parliament approved Muhthaz Muhsin as PG after PPM MPs decided to endorse the former Criminal Court judge despite the party’s leader, former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, urging ruling party MPs to vote for his nephew Maumoon Hameed.

Hurried trial

State prosecutors will present anonymous testimony by three officers involved in the raid, a crime scene report by police officer Mohamed Areef, a report on the weapons authenticity by MNDF’s Mohamed Nazeem and a confidential letter from the army stating the pistol and bullets did not belong to the state.

Confidential documents from a pen drive confiscated from Nazim’s apartment will also be presented to show the former Defence Minister harbored the intent to use and was capable of using the pistol, state prosecutor Adam Arif said.

Further evidence includes a statement by Nazim in which he “admitted” the police had discovered the weapons in his presence, Arif continued.

The Prosecutor General’s Office is also awaiting analysis of DNA samples lifted from the weapons, he added.

Hameed, then contended the state had filed charges without completing a full investigation, and appealed to judges’ to dismiss the state’s case.

Noting the Constitution declares any evidence obtained unlawfully as inadmissible, Hameed once again pointed to what he called several irregularities during the police raid.

Judge Yoosuf, however, told Hameed to focus on the content of the evidence, stating the bench had taken note of the defence’s concerns.

The Criminal Court gave Nazim three days to submit evidence in his defense, and denied a request to review its decision to keep the former Defence Minister in police custody until the end of the trial.

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JP office vandalised with crude oil

The Jumhooree Party (JP) office at Maafanu Kunooz in Malé was vandalised with crude oil last night.

JP Spokesperson Ali Solih told local media that two men on a motorcycle hurled crude oil at the door of the party’s headquarters during a press conference by JP Deputy Leader Ameen Ibrahim and Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Chairperson Ali Waheed.

Solih said the incident was reported to police along with the license plate number of the motorcycle.

The crude oil was also splashed over JP MP Abdulla Riyaz’s car parked outside the office, he noted.

At last night’s press conference, Ameen meanwhile denied allegations that JP Leader Gasim Ibrahim made a deal with Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb during a meeting at business magnate ‘Champa’ Mohamed Moosa’s residence on Monday night (March 2).

Following the meeting, government-aligned Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) MP Mohamed Saleem withdrew an amendment to the constitution that would have barred Gasim from contesting the presidency in 2018.

Saleem’s amendment proposed adding a 65-year age limit to the eligibility criteria for presidential candidates.

Gasim did not ask for the bill to be withdrawn, Ameen insisted, claiming that he had learned pro-government MPs had decided to withdraw the legislation before the meeting took place.

While Adeeb had offered to withdraw the bill, Ameen said Gasim told the deputy leader of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) he was not overly concerned about the proposed amendment.

As a three quarters majority of the total membership of parliament is needed to amend the constitution, the amendment would have required MDP and JP MPs’ votes to be passed.

Ameen said Gasim and Champa Moosa were longstanding business partners who offered mutual assistance and had a “strong relationship.”

Adeeb arrived halfway through the meeting at Champa Moosa’s invitation, Ameen said, adding that Gasim did not object to Adeeb’s participation.

Gasim asked Adeeb to facilitate the release of former President Mohamed Nasheed and former Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim, he continued, and wide-ranging discussions took place on the subject.

Ameen suggested that the timing of the constitutional amendment’s withdrawal was intended to sow discord in the MDP-JP alliance.

The opposition alliance’s joint commission meeting and the press briefing was “clear proof” that Gasim did not make a deal, Ameen said, assuring supporters that the alliance remains strong.

MDP Chairperson Ali Waheed said the government’s main target at present would be breaking up the alliance.

Referring to a group of young men on a pickup chanting slogans against Gasim and calling for Nasheed’s release last night, Waheed alleged it was part of efforts by the PPM to “sow discord” in the alliance.

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President Yameen rejects request for meeting to discuss MDP-JP demands

President Abdulla Yameen has rejected a request for a meeting with the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party-Jumhooree Party (MDP-JP) alliance to discuss 13 demands issued at a mass rally on February 27.

Briefing the press last night following a meeting of the MDP-JP joint party commission, JP Deputy Leader Ameen Ibrahim said the parties formally submitted the 13 demands in writing and sought meetings with both the president and Home Minister Umar Naseer.

“When we sent the demands, the home minister has replied saying ‘I have heard the demands and I will meet a team assigned by you.’ So his appointment has been arranged for 10am on Thursday morning. We sincerely thank the home minister for that on behalf of both our parties,” Ameen revealed.

“However, the president said in response to our letter, ‘if you want to meet regarding something that would be beneficial to the public, I can make time for you,’ and that it cannot be done any other way.”

The demands included immediately releasing former President Mohamed Nasheed and former Defense Minister Mohamed Nazim, repealing amendments to the Auditor General’s Act that saw the removal of former Auditor General Niyaz Ibrahim, empowering local councils, and investigating serious corruption allegations against senior government officials.

Other demands issued at the protest march included continuing electricity subsidies, fulfilling campaign pledges to provide subsidies to fishermen and farmers, and reversing a decision to impose import duty on fuel.

“The home minister has seen that these [demands] are beneficial to the public, but unfortunately our honourable president has not yet seen it. We are extremely saddened by this,” Ameen said.

President’s Office Spokesperson Ibrahim Muaz Ali told local media today that the president did not have the authority to release suspects in detention while on trial, noting that the judiciary was an independent branch under separation of powers.

The president was open to discussions if the opposition proposed matters that were both beneficial to the public and within the president’s powers and constitutional responsibilities, he said.

After discussing President Yameen’s rejection at the inter-party commission (IPC) last night, Ameen said the parties decided its leaders – Gasim Ibrahim from the JP and Chairperson Ali Waheed or MP Ibrahim Mohamed Solih ‘Ibu’ from the MDP – would directly request an appointment with the president to discuss the prosecution and trials of Nasheed and Nazim.

Criminal proceedings against the pair were being conducted unfairly and unjustly, Ameen reiterated.

The parties also discussed continuing joint efforts, Ameen said, adding that decisions of the ‘joint activities committee’ would be implemented.

Ameen stressed that the activities would take place within legal bounds, adding that its purpose was achieving results desired by the public.

The MDP-JP nightly protests continued near the city council hall last night.

“Extra efforts”

Meanwhile, MDP Chairperson Ali Waheed told the press that the party could not remain inactive while former President Nasheed’s trial was “going rapidly towards a sentence.”

“So we have discussed at our commission about the MDP undertaking special extra efforts to free President Nasheed,” he revealed.

The joint commission discussed affording the space for the MDP to conduct further activities without undermining the alliance with the JP, Waheed added, calling on supporters to join the party’s “direct action”.

Waheed said the government’s lack of an adequate response to the thousands of Maldivian citizens who participated in the protest march was regrettable.

“So now we are going to have to take our efforts to another level. God willing, within bounds of Maldivian laws and regulations, we will carry out our peaceful protest and direct action in various ways in the coming days,” he said.

A special committee has been formed within the MDP to oversee the activities, he continued, appealing for party members to remain united and to channel discontent within the party “as positive energy.”

While the party was attempting to peacefully resolve the crisis through negotiation and dialogue, Waheed said MDP believed “other activities” should be scaled up.

The government was opting for the “path of ruin” with its lack of response to the peaceful protest march, he continued, noting that the opposition did not seek a violent confrontation or incite unrest on Friday.

Waheed also said the party could not “go forward” without Nasheed and that the current leadership would not stand in the way of supporters’ love for the party’s elected president.

“We will give the space both within this [joint] commission and our party for [supporters] to raise their voices,” he said.

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MDA MP withdraws constitutional amendment on 65-year age limit to contest for presidency

Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) MP Mohamed Ismail has withdrawn an amendment to the constitution that would have barred Jumhooree Party (JP) Leader Gasim Ibrahim from contesting the presidency in 2018.

The move comes after Gasim met ‘Champa’ Mohamed Moosa ‘Uchchu’ and Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb at Moosa’s residence around 11pm last night.

The amendment proposed adding an age limit of 65 among the eligibility criteria for presidential candidates. Gasim would be 66 years of age in 2018.

“I withdrew the amendment today respecting the leaders of the ruling party’s request to remove the bill. I also thought that it would be in the best interest of the country at this time that I withdraw it,” Mohamed Ismail told Minivan News.

However, as a three quarters majority of the total membership of the People’s Majlis is required to amend the constitution, the votes of opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs or JPs would be needed to reach the required 63 votes.

Adeeb – also deputy leader of the PPM – has confirmed on social media that the meeting took place.

“My meeting with honorable Gasim and honorable Uchu is confidential, so no comments to what we agreed or discussed,” he tweeted.

After news of the meeting was reported by local media, a small group of protesters greeted Gasim when he emerged from the meeting. “President [Mohamed] Nasheed is in jail,” they screamed.

Gasim told reporters after the meeting that the discussion was “about the political environment.”

The JP issued a press release this morning stating that Gasim’s meeting with Champa Moosa was a meeting “between friends”.

“As the two are businessmen, discussions concerning business also took place,” the press release stated.

The JP claimed that Adeeb arrived at Champa’s residence while the meeting with Gasim was ongoing.

Gasim told Adeeb to ask President Abdulla Yameen to withdraw “politically motivated” charges against former President Nasheed and former Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim, the JP said.

Gasim’s JP formed an alliance with MDP in February and launched nightly protests against the government’s alleged breaches of the constitution. Since former President Nasheed’s arrest, Gasim has called on Prosecutor General Muhthaz Muhsin to withdraw charges against the opposition leader and ex-defence minister in the interests of peace and stability.

The government has since seized several properties leased to Gasim’s Villa Group for alleged agreement violations. Last week, the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) gave a 30-day notice to Villa Group to pay US$100 million allegedly owed as unpaid rent and fines.

Moreover, at the first hearing of Nazim’s trial last week, State Prosecutor Adam Arif said documents on a pen drive confiscated from the then-defence minister’s apartment showed he was planning individual and joint operations, financed by the Villa Group, to cause bodily harm to “senior honourable state officials.”

Despite the JP’s claims to the contrary, local media reported last night – citing confidential sources – that Gasim asked Adeeb to withdraw the constitutional amendment and the pair discussed MIRA’s 30-day notice to Villa Group.

Gasim was also criticised by opposition supporters when he failed to return to the Maldives as promised ahead the MDP-JP mass rally on February 27. Gasim went to Colombo to brief diplomatic missions in Sri Lanka and claimed he could not return for the rally due to an appointment the following day with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena.

“As in the agreement between JP and MDP, Gasim will work to free former President Mohamed Nasheed and former Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim,” the JP insisted in its press release.

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Government scraps plan to impose import duty on staple foodstuff

The government has reversed its decision to impose a 10 percent import duty on staple foodstuff such as rice, flour, wheat and sugar, Minister of Tourism Ahmed Adeeb has revealed.

“Emergency economic council meeting ongoing where President [Abdulla] Yameen has just decided not to impose any duty on sugar, rice, flour (staple foods),” the council’s co-chair tweeted this morning.

Speaking at a press conference at the President’s Office later today, Adeeb said parliament and the Progressive Party of Maldives’ parliamentary group have since been informed of the decision.

“The president’s decision was made in light of requests from a lot of people as well as the current situation [with the capital’s water crisis] we are faced with,” he said.

Finance Minister Abdulla Jihad told parliament’s budget review committee last month that the government anticipated MVR533 million (US$34.5 million) in additional income from import duties.

The new duties were to represent 15 percent of the new revenue anticipated in the 2015 budget.

Revising import duties

Revising import duties was among several revenue raising measures in the record MVR24.3 billion (US$1.5 billion) state budget for 2015 currently before parliament.

Government-sponsored amendments (Dhivehi) to the Export-Import Act – which proposed raising custom duties from the current zero rate to 10 percent for staple foodstuffs – were subsequently submitted to parliament last month.

Scrapping plans to levy import duties on staple foodstuff from October 2015 was meanwhile among several amendments submitted to the budget by opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs last week.

The minority party has issued a three-line whip for its MPs to vote against the budget if none of the proposed revisions are passed.

During last month’s parliamentary budget debate, opposition MPs strongly criticised the proposed tax hikes, contending that the burden of higher prices of goods and cost of living would be borne by the public.

The current administration’s economic policies – such as waiving import duties for construction material imported for resort development as well as luxury yachts – benefit the rich at the expense of the poor, MDP MPs argued.

In addition to a 10 percent tariff for oil, the government’s amendment bill also proposed raising custom duties for tobacco from 150 to 200 percent and raising the duty for a single cigarette to MVR1.25.

Additionally, a 20 percent custom duty would be imposed for luxury cosmetics and perfume and a 200 percent custom duty for land vehicles such as cars, jeeps, and vans.

The forecast for additional revenue for the 2015 budget was MVR3.4 billion (US$220 million), including US$100 million expected as acquisition fees for investments in special economic zones and MVR400 million (US$25.9 million) from the sale and lease of state-owned land.

The other measures included introducing a green tax of US$6 per night in November 2015 and leasing 10 islands for new resort development.

Tariffs were last revised in April this year after parliament approved import duty hikes for a range of goods proposed by the government as a revenue raising measure.

Targeting subsidies

Adeeb meanwhile told the press today that the government still planned to shift to a model of targeting government subsidies to the needy as part of efforts to consolidate public finances.

In his budget speech to parliament last month, Jihad also revealed plans to revise the electricity subsidy, which he said currently benefits the affluent more than the needy.

Targeting the electricity subsidy to low-income families or households would save 40 percent of the government’s expenditure on the subsidy, Jihad explained, and allow the government to provide a higher amount to the poor.

While Maldivians were not legally required to declare income and assets in the absence of an income tax, Adeeb said today that the National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) currently used criteria for means-testing for subsidies.

Minister of Economic Development Mohamed Saeed meanwhile noted that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has recommended targeting subsidies and reducing recurrent expenditure to reign in the fiscal deficit.

“The electricity subsidy is one that goes to even the richest strata of society. Basic food subsidies are being enjoyed now by the resorts, and never mind the resorts, are being enjoyed by wealthy foreign visitors who stay at the resorts,” Dr Koshy Mathai, resident representative to Sri Lanka and Maldives, told MPs on the public accounts committee in February.

“That to us seems like a totally unnecessary policy.”

He added that “substantial savings” could be made from the budget by targeting subsidies to those most in need of assistance.

Meanwhile, in May, MMA Governor Dr Azeema Adam called for “bold decisions” to ensure macroeconomic stability by reducing expenditure – “especially the un-targeted subsidies.”

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Adeeb’s number plate fell off, claims police

The number plates of Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb’s motorcycle fell off during a cycle rally held on November 8 to celebrate the upcoming one-year anniversary of President Abdulla Yameen’s administration, police have said.

In a press statement issued today in response to media reports of Adeeb driving his motorbike without a front number or license plate, police claimed that a member of the public had discovered the number plate and handed it over to patrolling police officers.

Police learned later that the number plate fell off shortly after the rally began, the statement explained.

However, prior to issuing the statement, the police media official had refused to comment on the case when contacted by local media this week.

The penalty for the traffic rules violation is a fine of MVR500 for a first time offence.

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