The Criminal Court remanded former foreign minister and parliament speaker Abdulla Shahid for 30 days on suspicion of sexually abusing a minor, police said. Thirty days is the longest single remand period short of detention until the end of a trial. The court usually grants it based on the nature and seriousness of the alleged offence and on whether police have presented sufficient grounds. Shahid, who was arrested on Monday night, has denied the allegation, calling it a politically motivated attempt to destroy his reputation. His son, Yameen Shahid, wrote on X that his father “would never do what he’s being accused of,” and that the way the case had unfolded “raises serious questions.” He said Shahid deserved “fairness, due process and every opportunity to defend himself.”
President Muizzu awarded the November 3 Shield to five surviving members of the reconnaissance patrol deployed during the 1988 coup attempt, at the official Victory Day ceremony at Republic Square on Tuesday night. The recipients were retired Sergeant First Class Ibrahim Shareef, Staff Sergeant Hussain Ali, Sergeant Hussain Manik, Corporal Abdullah Naseem and Lance Corporal Abdullah Mufeed. The day began with dawn prayers and a flag-raising at the Victory Day monument, followed by an MNDF military display in the afternoon. At the evening ceremony, the MNDF re-enacted the events of 3 November 1988 and Muizzu launched an album of patriotic songs recorded by the military.
Having overcome an armed attack 38 years ago, the Maldives must now free itself from debt and achieve economic independence, President Muizzu said in his Victory Day address. He argued that the country’s language, religion and way of life could only be protected by an economy that did not depend on others. He pointed to his government’s efforts to avoid default, end monetary expansion and repay state debt. He also cited the withdrawal of foreign military personnel, efforts to recover maritime territory he says was lost in the ITLOS case, and more than 1,000 young people completing national service training.
Riveli Beach Club and Restaurant in Hulhumalé reopened on Monday night after the Civil Court issued an interim order staying HDC’s takeover of the plot, its operator, Solaris Hospitality, said. HDC had terminated the lease and ordered the business to stop operating over unpaid rent, which an HDC official put at about MVR5 million (US$324,254). Solaris said it was challenging HDC’s notices as invalid in court, and that the dispute involved “several issues that should not be reduced to a single one.”
Police arrested former Maafannu South councillor Mohamed Aiman Ismail in connection with a sexual abuse case. Police said most of the investigation was complete and they were consulting the Prosecutor General’s Office on what remained. The allegations surfaced in October when his former wife made them public on social media. She had since voiced concern that he had not been arrested. Police did not say why the arrest took this long.
Police received 32 scam complaints last week, 17 of them involving currency exchange, with victims losing a combined MVR737,695, of which MVR144,558 has been recovered. The other cases involved e-commerce (six), investment schemes (four), impersonation (one) and other scams (four). Most were carried out through messaging apps, the iBay marketplace, phone calls, phishing links and Facebook Marketplace, police said, warning that an unusually good exchange rate could be a sign of fraud. They advised people to confirm receiving the other party’s money before sending their own and to report scams to the 125 hotline.
The Maldives launched “Visit Maldives Year 2027: Celebrate the Sunny Side” at World Travel Market London, where a 161-member delegation, including 136 representatives from 62 tourism companies, is promoting the country at the three-day fair. Tourism Minister Mohamed Ameen called the campaign “a shared national journey” to bring Maldivians and the industry together, with a year of resort celebrations, island festivals, and cultural, culinary, wellness and marine events. The government is targeting 2.5 million tourist arrivals in 2027.
Vietjet will start flights from Malé to Hanoi via Colombo on 9 February, three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, the Vietnamese low-cost airline announced. It will be the airline’s second route to Vietnam from the Maldives, after a Malé–Ho Chi Minh City service, also via Colombo, launches on 5 December. Passengers can also book the Malé–Colombo legs on their own.
