MP Riyaz Rasheed

Neighbours jealous of China-led developments, says ruling party lawmaker

“There are neighbours of ours who are jealous of the progress and development that could come to this nation because we joined China,” said the deputy parliamentary group leader of the Progressive Party of Maldives.

Sri Lanka aiding opposition coup plots, alleges lawmaker

MP Riyaz Rasheed told the press he was concerned that neighbouring countries were allowing exiled Maldivian politicians to plot attempts to oust President Abdulla Yameen.

Detained US citizen to be deported from Maldives

John Seyfert, an American arrested a week ago on charges of not possessing a passport or valid visa, will be deported from the Maldives. His case however does not appear to be simple matter of a visa violation.

Scandal-ridden ports company under investigation over boat deal

The state-owned Maldives Ports Limited is under investigation by the anti-graft watchdog over the procurement of a small boat badly in need of repairs for MVR5 million (US$65,000). The MPL is also under fire for paying MVR2.9 million as legal fees to a ruling party lawmaker.

Ruling party MP threatens to sue state ports company

Maldives Ports Limited CEO Mohamed Junaidh told the press this morning that Meridiam Services has been billing for 160,000 litres a month despite MPL’s vehicles needing only 60,000 litres, resulting in a loss of MVR1.2 million (US$78,000) every month.

Ports company ordered to buy diesel exclusively from MPs’ company

The civil court granted the temporary order pending a judgment in a lawsuit filed by Meridiam Services, which claims the Maldives Ports Limited is buying diesel from other suppliers in breach of an agreement signed last April.

State wholesaler appeals to recover US$1.2m from PPM MPs’ company

The State Trading Organisation has appealed a civil court ruling in favour of a company owned by ruling party MP Riyaz Rasheed to recover MVR19.3 million (US$1.2 million) released as a credit facility.

PPM MP slams Sri Lanka for harbouring ‘coup plotters’

MP Riyaz Rasheed slammed Sri Lanka for harbouring “coup plotters,” warning the neighbouring country against interfering in domestic affairs of the Maldives.

PPM MP threatens to sue Al-Jazeera over corruption expose

A ruling party MP threatened to sue al-Jazeera last night over an upcoming documentary about alleged corruption and abuse of power by President Abdulla Yameen that has put the government on the defensive.

MP questions composition of parliament’s graft-probe committee

The parliament’s public accounts oversight committee has launched an inquiry into corruption cases under investigation since 2008, including the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation corruption scandal.

Maldives resort owners back bill criminalising tourism boycott call

“The most commonly used method to call for a boycott is social media. We have a lot of trouble selling our packages in tourism fairs and catalogues because of this,” said Ahmed Nazeer, secretary general of the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI). He told MPs that a law criminalising calls for a tourism boycott is long overdue.

PPM MP threatens to jail all opposition MPs with bill on sanctions

“All these people here belonging to MDP should be arrested. This is what we’re trying to do. God willing, that will happen now,” said ruling party MP Riyaz Rasheed.

PPM MP proposes criminalising calls for sanctions, tourism boycott

MP Ahmed Nihan, PPM parliamentary group leader, meanwhile called Nasheed’s high-profile lawyers Jared Genser and Amal Clooney “enemies of the state” after the pair launched a campaign lobbying for targeted sanctions against state officials in the wake of a UN rights panel declaring the opposition leader’s imprisonment arbitrary and politically motivated.

Amendments propose registering plots smaller than 600 square feet

Petition demands MP apologise for ‘discriminatory and bigoted’ tweets

Parliament considers stricter traffic rules

Majlis begins investigation into Ibthihaal’s death

Parliament rejects amendments to Decentralisation Act

MP Riyaz Rasheed withdraws amendments to law on privileges and protection for former presidents

Bill proposed to transfer land from local councils to central government