Adhadhu CEO Hussain Fiyaz Moosa was summoned to police headquarters again and ordered under court warrant to surrender passwords to the laptops, hard drives and other devices seized during the raid on the newsroom last week. Fiyaz refused. His lawyer, former MP Ali Hussain, said handing over the passwords would expose confidential sources, including those unrelated to the Aisha documentary that triggered the police investigation. He said Adhadhu had also informed police that Fiyaz had not committed qazf against anyone, the principal charge underlying the investigation. Article 28 of the constitution prohibits compelling anyone to disclose the source of information they have published. Section 136(b) of the Evidence Act limits the compellable circumstances to terrorism offences and matters of national security. Police warned of "consequences" if the passwords were not handed over, Ali Hussain told reporters. "But even if they prosecute, even if they jail him, my client Fiyaz says we are not going to disclose sources." Police seized 20 devices during the four-hour search of Adhadhu's office.
Bank of Maldives amended its card terms and conditions to include cardholder consent for accessing Immigration data, after the announcement of the digital integration with Immigration drew privacy concerns. The revised disclosure clause grants the bank authority to obtain and verify personal information from government agencies including the ID Card Unit and Immigration, and adds a "continuous" monitoring provision covering due diligence, regulatory compliance, fraud prevention, risk management and ongoing oversight of accounts and transactions, replacing the previous language that tied such monitoring to specific events like card renewals. BML made the changes without direct communication to customers; existing terms give the bank discretion to amend conditions, with customers who disagree given the option of returning their cards. Adhadhu reported that under the integration, when a card is used at an overseas ATM or point-of-sale, BML's system queries Immigration to confirm whether the cardholder is currently in or outside the Maldives. Separately, BML pushed back on the privacy concerns, telling Dhauru the integration was an automated authorisation step that did not share customer data, equivalent to a card validity check. A senior bank official said BML already collects transaction data including time, location and spending patterns, and that customer confidentiality remained a core duty. The integration applies only to overseas card-present transactions; e-commerce remains exempt.
The Elections Commission warned the People's National Front of action under the Political Parties Act if it continues holding street protests deemed to be in breach of the political party code of conduct. The commission said it had received repeated complaints about unlawful conduct at PNF events and had previously advised the party to stop, but PNF had declined invitations to discuss the matter at the EC. The party led by former President Yameen has been holding nightly protests since Adhadhu's Aisha documentary aired allegations of an extramarital affair against President Muizzu, with participants frequently bringing a sofa onto the street and broadcasting the gatherings live. The EC has separately told Yameen to stop activities it said were stoking public hatred and inciting unrest.
Detainees at Dhoonidhoo Custodial Centre are sometimes handcuffed and confined in a sun-exposed cage as punishment for disobedience, the Human Rights Commission's National Preventive Mechanism reported in its annual review. The cage, located in the custodial exercise yard, is unsheltered and becomes extremely hot in the afternoon; detainees are placed on a mat with hands and feet restrained by clip-handcuffs, sometimes for extended periods. Police officers told the NPM that detainees in the cage are allowed to use the toilet and perform prayers, but these are not logged in the system. Incident reports reviewed by the NPM showed detainees being handcuffed and isolated for using foul language toward officers or disobeying orders during searches. Existing regulations permit restraints only when a detainee poses a risk of injury to themselves or staff, after they have first been temporarily removed from their cell. The NPM also found a detainee at Fuvahmulah Police Station had been isolated for seven days after assaulting a migrant worker delivering food, with no documentary record of the isolation; regulations do not permit a seven-day isolation as a privilege-revocation measure. Incident reports from Family and Children's Service Centres and Amaan Veshi shelters showed children being barred from activities as punishment, but did not specify which activities.
The Maldives and Sri Lanka exchanged seven MoUs at a ceremony at Colombo's Presidential Secretariat on the second day of President Muizzu's state visit. The agreements cover cooperation in tourism, education, higher education, health, sports, youth development, archives and defence, including a defence training and joint research arrangement between the Maldives' defence ministry and Sri Lanka's General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, an education partnership covering teacher and school leader training, and an archival cooperation agreement between the two national archives. Foreign Minister Iruthisham Adam and Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath signed the tourism MoU. President Anura Kumara Disanayaka thanked the Maldives for humanitarian assistance during Cyclone Ditwah and noted climate change as a shared challenge, while Muizzu commended Sri Lanka's recovery efforts. The four-day visit, which began with a ceremonial welcome at the Presidential Secretariat on Monday, runs to May 6 and marks Muizzu's first trip to Sri Lanka since taking office in 2023. The two countries are also marking 60 years of diplomatic relations.
Former President Nasheed's campaign team denied being behind a court case seeking to invalidate the timeline for MDP's chairperson election. The case was filed at the Civil Court by lawyer Abdulla Shaairu, arguing that the elections committee had set the timeline without authorisation from the chair of the appellate tribunal as required by section 46 of the party's governing statutes. He asked the court to order the leadership and elections committee to comply with the regulations. The Nasheed campaign said Shaairu had filed the case in his personal capacity and described claims of campaign involvement as "categorically false," warning that such claims would erode trust in MDP's internal elections. The campaign said it wanted ordinary members to be able to vote as soon as possible. Meekail Naseem, the Galolhu South MP also contesting the chairpersonship, criticised the court filing as alien to MDP's basic character.
MDP raised "grave concern" over reports that Maldivian nationals living in Sri Lanka were questioned and intimidated by Sri Lankan police in connection with President Muizzu's state visit, in what the party said appeared to be coordinated with the Maldivian administration. The party said at least four Maldivians, including a former Maldives High Commission official under the previous government, were visited at home by Sri Lankan police, questioned about their political views on Muizzu, and told not to attend a reception for the president; in one case a home and personal devices were searched for around two hours. Police reportedly held photographs and personal details of those visited, including their permanent addresses in the Maldives, and asked individuals to sign statements written in Sinhala, a language they did not understand. The visits followed invitations from the Maldives High Commission in Colombo, with at least one individual told by police he would be arrested if he attended after declining. MDP called on the government to halt surveillance and intimidation of citizens abroad, give a transparent account of its conduct during the visit, and ensure no one faces repercussions for expressing political views.
Maldivian denied social media reports that the national airline was about to start serving alcohol on its flights, calling the claim untrue and urging people not to share unverified information. The airline said the false reports could erode public trust and inflame anger toward the company, threatening community peace and safety. Maldivian recently introduced an Airbus A330 to its fleet for long-haul routes. The national carrier has partnered with Australian travel company Luxury Escapes to operate Australia's first direct flights between Melbourne and Malé, with the under-12-hour service running on the A330-200.
State Minister for Health Aminath Shirna was appointed as CEO of NSPA, replacing Heena Waleed, who joined the cabinet as minister of arts, heritage and culture.
A pod of dolphins entered the Channel Park between Hulhumalé Phases I and II around midday and stayed for over an hour and a half, drawing crowds from across the area. The dolphins jumped clear of the water and came close to swimmers; people gathered along the seawall to watch and film despite light rain.
