President nominates his lawyer as new Prosecutor General

President Abdulla Yameen has nominated the legal affairs secretary at the president’s office, Aishath Bisham, to the vacant post of Prosecutor General.

Ibrahim Muaz Ali, the president’s spokesperson, said in a tweet today that Bisham was the only candidate who applied when the president’s office invited applications last week.

Bisham’s name has been submitted for parliamentary approval, he said.

The post was made vacant when the pro-government majority in parliament had removed former PG Muhthaz Muhsin in a midnight vote on November 10. He was accused of abuse of power and leaking confidential information to lawyers representing suspects arrested over the September 28 blast on the president’s speedboat.

Opposition MPs did not participate in the vote, objecting to what they called due process violations in Muhsin’s abrupt removal. Muhsin said the allegations against him lacked substance.

The no-confidence motion against the PG followed reports that he had stalled charges of bribery against recently impeached Vice President Ahmed Adeeb, who is in custody on suspicion of plotting to assassinate the president.

The government says a bomb caused the explosion on the “Finifenma” speedboat. Yameen escaped unhurt.

Bisham had briefly served as Attorney General (AG) in the administration of former President Dr Mohamed Waheed. She failed to secure parliamentary approval and was later appointed special advisor to the president.

She had also previously served as deputy solicitor general at the AG office.

Shortly after assuming power in November 2013, Yameen appointed Bisham legal affairs secretary at the president office at the level of state minister.