President Muizzu claimed his government has broken the cycle of political retribution that plagued previous administrations, saying jailing former presidents and political opponents was a "hobby" of past governments that he has ended. Appearing on the state broadcaster, he indirectly criticised the United Democratic Front formed by three former presidents, questioning whether his predecessors were acting consistently with democratic principles by trying to topple a democratically-elected government. Claiming that freedom of expression is fully protected, he warned that defaming others and destabilising the country falls outside those rights, and said he will enforce the law without discrimination regardless of political pressure.
The Finnish technical-diving team coordinated by DAN Europe completed the underwater phase of the recovery operation at Devana Kandu. Conditions were more demanding than on previous days, with strong wind and surface current, and the dive started about 90 minutes later than planned. The team spent around 50 minutes inside the cave during a three-hour dive, working through a "scene clean-up" – removing temporary guide lines and operational references placed during recovery, and retrieving additional items potentially relevant to the investigation. All recovered material, including equipment belonging to the victims, was handed over to Maldives Police and formally seized. The team used closed-circuit rebreathers, diver propulsion vehicles and redundant systems designed for deep overhead environments.
International press reported a new theory of how the five Italian divers died in the cave system off Alimatha on May 14, drawn from a la Repubblica interview with DAN Europe CEO Laura Marroni. The four divers found together appear to have taken a wrong turn while trying to exit the cave's second chamber, ending up in a short dead-end corridor in the third and final chamber, Marroni said. The 30-metre passage connecting the chambers becomes silted and dark on the return leg and the dead-end tunnel sits just above the route back to the entrance, making it possible to enter by mistake but extremely difficult to exit with limited air. Marroni said the divers were using standard 12-litre air cylinders, not suited to depths beyond 30 metres, which would have given them around 10 minutes once they realised they were lost. "Realising that the path is the wrong one and having little air, perhaps after going back and forth, is terrifying. Then you breathe quickly and the air supply decreases." The bodies of Monica Montefalcone, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, Federico Gualtieri and Muriel Oddenino were recovered earlier this week at the entrance to the third chamber, around 50 metres deep. Instructor Gianluca Benedetti's body was found near the same entrance on May 14. Investigators are also examining whether the group had flashlights and a guide line and whether a Venturi-effect current through the narrow corridor may have drawn them in.
The Pay Commission significantly increased salaries for Women's Development Committee presidents. WDC presidents received a nearly six-fold increase from MVR 7,000 (US$ 454) to MVR 41,500. Island WDC presidents saw their pay rise from MVR 6,000 to MVR 21,000. The total annual cost of WDC salaries across all cities and islands will now amount to MVR 79 million. The new salary structure was communicated to the Local Government Authority following amendments to the Decentralisation Act requiring the Pay Commission to set WDC member salaries.
The Maldives and the European Union signed a financing agreement for a €4 million grant to support community-based mangrove protection and regeneration across the country. The project aims to strengthen coastal resilience, conserve biodiversity, and advance climate change mitigation in line with the Maldives' commitments under the Paris Agreement. The agreement was signed in Malé by State Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheryna Abdul Samad and EU Delegation Head of Cooperation Dr Johann Hesse.
President Muizzu appointed Ali Naseer Gasim, a former Police Board member who previously worked in police intelligence, as his representative on the Judicial Service Commission. Naseer was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Ali Rasheed Hussein, filling the vacancy left by Yazmeedh Mohamed, who resigned after an audio recording leaked in which a voice attributed to him suggested he need not vote for PNC candidates in the April 4 local council elections.
Former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih revealed the name of the three-former-presidents' opposition alliance as the "United Democratic Front" at an MDP chairperson election campaign rally in Lhaviyani Hinnavaru. Solih also used the occasion to urge former President Nasheed to step aside from the race and focus on the coalition's work, while declaring his support for rival candidate Galolhu South MP Meekail Ahmed Naseem, arguing that new leadership should be given space and drawing implicit comparisons between Nasheed's continued political dominance and former President Maumoon's 30-year authoritarian rule.
Police recaptured escaped prisoner Hussain Shahban after he fled from Hulhumalé Hospital, where he had been taken for emergency treatment, and handed him back to Corrections. Shahban, who was serving a sentence for unlawful entry, had most recently been arrested in connection with a fire at a house in Malé. He is facing arson charges in the case.
Police arrested three people during Thursday night's protest calling for the release of jailed journalists and political detainees. The protest began outside former president Abdulla Yameen's home and moved north along Malé's ring road before being stopped on Majeedhee Magu by riot police in shields outside the Sergeant Adam Haleem Investigation Building. Those arrested were Ibrahim Fauzaan 'Bob,' a Malé City Council employee and the younger brother of Adhadhu journalist Mohamed Shahzan, who is currently serving a 15-day jail sentence for criminal contempt over questions he put to President Muizzu; Hussain Hassan, a former journalist who represents Villingili on the opposition MDP's national council; and Halimath Zuhaira, a prominent figure in Yameen's People's National Front. Three other protesters remain in police custody from earlier nights: Shamoon Jaleel 'Lucas,' on a 10-day detention order, and Mohamed Shamin and Ali Mushaffau, on 15-day orders.
The Maldives Journalists Association appealed to the public to raise funds to cover the fines imposed on jailed Adhadhu journalists Mohamed Shahzan (MVR 25,800) and Leevaan Ali Naseer (MVR 26,800) by the Criminal Court. Both were sentenced to jail – Shahzan for 15 days for questioning President Muizzu, and Leevaan for 10 days for reporting that a gag order had been issued – in connection with a documentary about President Muizzu's alleged affair with an aide. Donations can be transferred to Shahzan's account (7704279704101) or Leevaan's account (7730000168109), with proof of transfer sent to 9737592.
President Muizzu ratified the sixth amendment to the Pension Act, allowing individuals to use their pension fund savings as collateral for home construction and renovation loans. The amendment also permits early withdrawal of pension funds for serious medical conditions and for reserving Hajj spots, while tightening basic pension eligibility by excluding those whose other income already exceeds the basic pension amount.
The Prosecutor General's office filed two charges against Adam Adlan Latheef, 22, who was arrested in April on suspicion of buying and selling child sexual abuse material via cryptocurrency. The charges, filed at the Criminal Court last Tuesday, are possession of child sexual abuse material on a computer system – carrying a base sentence of three years and two months and a maximum of eight years – and production of obscene material, which carries a base sentence of one month and six days. The PG office had initially declined to prosecute before reversing course following a request from police to review the decision.
President Muizzu appointed Dr Mohamed Mahid Shareef to head the new Citizens' Complaints Bureau at the President's Office. Mahid takes the ministerial-level position of Principal Secretary to the President on the bureau, having most recently served as chief executive of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Maldives. He was previously permanent secretary at several ministries and deputy vice chancellor of the Islamic University of Maldives, and holds a Doctor of Business Administration and a master's in public sector management. Muizzu said on the newly launched PSM programme Nation Chat that the bureau would launch before July 26, operating round the clock with a 24-hour call centre and an AI-enabled digital system to route citizen complaints to the relevant government agencies.
The Supreme Court rejected a constitutional case filed by two environmental activists seeking to halt construction of three 17-storey towers in Vilimalé's laurel-wood grove, ruling it is not the type of case that falls within the court's jurisdiction. The case, filed last month by Humaida Abdul Ghafoor and Ahmed Ikram, called for the housing project to be stopped and sought a broader ruling requiring all construction in the Maldives to protect trees over 50 years old and comply with environmental sustainability principles. The petitioners have since filed for the registrar's decision to be reviewed by the full bench of justices, arguing the jurisdictional question should be determined during the hearing rather than at the registration stage.
The foreign ministry reaffirmed the Maldives' commitment to the One China Principle, recognising Beijing as the sole legal government of China and Taiwan as "an inalienable part" of its territory under UN General Assembly Resolution 2758. The statement reiterates a position the Maldives has held since establishing diplomatic ties with China in 1972, and comes two days after US President Donald Trump said he would be willing to speak directly to Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te while weighing a US$14 billion arms sale to the island that Congress approved in January, a call that would mark the first direct contact between US and Taiwanese leaders since Washington shifted diplomatic recognition to Beijing in 1979. Trump's remarks followed his Beijing summit with Xi Jinping last week, after which he declined to commit to the arms deal. Beijing has been pressing third countries to publicly back the One China principle.
