Politics
Watchdog rules out corruption in sale of luxury flats to state officials
“It must be noted that the government provided the opportunity to buy the flats for MVR1.6 million (US$103,761), when the government paid over MVR938,000 (US$60,830),” the ACC explained, stressing that the flats were sold for a profit of MVR600,000 (US$38,910).
03 Jan 2016, 09:00
Police question witnesses over disputed document on Nasheed’s house arrest
After accompanying a witness to the police headquarters last night, Mahfooz Saeed from Nasheed’s legal team told the press that the police have assured lawyers the investigation will be completed in two weeks. The witnesses were present when an officer from the Maldives Correctional Service presented the document to the former president at his residence, Maafanu Yaagoothuge, in Malé.
31 Dec 2015, 09:00
Army captain testifies in ex-defence minister’s appeal hearing
During Nazim’s trial in March, the criminal court had refused to call all but two of the 37 defence witnesses, claiming some were not relevant while others could not negate the prosecution’s claims. Yesterday’s appeal hearing was closed to the media, but Captain Ali Ihusan was seen entering the court.
29 Dec 2015, 09:00
Maldives signs anti-human trafficking protocol
The Maldives today acceded to the the ‘Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children,’ a protocol to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime.
28 Dec 2015, 09:00
Police deny clearing former vice president of attempted murder charges
The police have threatened to take legal action against Adeeb’s lawyer Hussain Shameem, who said yesterday that the police have confirmed that the former vice president has been cleared of suspicion over the alleged attempt to assassinate President Abdulla Yameen.
28 Dec 2015, 09:00
High Court to summon witnesses for ex-defence minister’s appeal
Mohamed Nazim’s lawyer also asked the High Court to consider sentencing him under the new penal code if judges decide to uphold the criminal court’s 11-year sentence on a weapons smuggling charge. Under the new penal code, weapons possession carries a jail term of less than one year.
27 Dec 2015, 09:00
Civil Service Commission denies rumours of laying off elderly employees
After facing criticism over its silence on the issue, the CSC said in a statement yesterday that the finance ministry staff made redundant by restructuring will be dealt with in accordance with chapter five of the civil service regulations. Uncertainty over job security prompted dozens of civil servants at the ministry to go on strike last Tuesday.
27 Dec 2015, 09:00
MDP launches recruitment drive to re-register members
The MDP said in a statement on Thursday that it is aiming to re-register more than 23,000 -nearly half of its 48,000 members – before the end of the month. The Elections Commission had imposed a deadline of December 31 for parties to re-register members who had submitted membership forms before a requirement for fingerprints was enforced.
27 Dec 2015, 09:00
Former vice president “cleared” of boat blast allegations
“According to the police, Adeeb is now only accused in the [Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation corruption] case. Apart from questions posed on the first day over the boat blast, no further questions have been put to Ahmed Adeeb in the investigation,” the former vice president’s lawyers said today.
27 Dec 2015, 09:00
Yameen condemned for threats against civil servants
President Abdulla Yameen’s threats against striking civil servants has enraged human rights advocates and opposition parties, with some describing the warning as high-handed and yet another example of a deepening crackdown on civil rights.
23 Dec 2015, 09:00
President threatens to cut wages for striking staff
“They don’t have to protest for their jobs. They will remain in government jobs. But no government employee should tell me, ‘I will work at this office.’ That’s not something they can say. The government will decide that based on the level of skill and training,” Yameen said last night in the wake of a historic strike by staff at the finance ministry over imminent mass job cuts.
23 Dec 2015, 09:00
Nasheed petitions lower courts to secure release
After appealing former President Mohamed Nasheed’s 13-year sentence at the Supreme Court this week, the opposition leader’s lawyers are now petitioning the lower courts to secure his release from prison. They are “seeking a solution through the judiciary” as urged by President Abdulla Yameen.
22 Dec 2015, 09:00
Striking staff demand transparent audit before job cuts
Staff on strike at the finance ministry have signed a petition calling on the Civil Service Commission to conduct a transparent and comprehensive resource audit before making mass job cuts.
22 Dec 2015, 09:00
Finance Ministry staff stage strike over job cuts: “We have families to take care of, bills and rent to pay”
Hundreds of civil servants at the finance ministry are on strike over mass job cuts. The historic strike – only the second by civil servants in recent history – comes after President Abdulla Yameen insisted on the dismissals, arguing the Maldivian civil service is overstaffed.
22 Dec 2015, 09:00
Maldivians who assisted deported German crew under fire
Home Minister Umar Naseer has pledged to prosecute all Maldivians who assisted a German TV crew who were deported while filming for a story on Islamic extremism. ARD’s local fixer was summoned for questioning on Sunday.
21 Dec 2015, 09:00
Russian’s arrest in Maldives lawful, rules US court
A US federal court has ruled that Maldivian law was not violated in the arrest of alleged Russian hacker Roman Seleznev by US Secret Service agents from the international airport in July 2014.
20 Dec 2015, 09:00
Hundreds protest over horrific rape case in Thinadhoo
Hundreds of Maldivians took to the streets in southern Gaaf Dhaal Atoll Thinadhoo Island after a woman from the island was hospitalized with life-threatening rape injuries.
20 Dec 2015, 09:00
Nasheed lodges appeal at the Supreme Court
In a surprising U-turn, former President Mohamed Nasheed has lodged an appeal at the Supreme Court, requesting judges to overturn his 13-year jail sentence on a terrorism charge.
20 Dec 2015, 09:00
Colonel’s military detention amounts to “enforced disappearance”
The criminal court refused to accept a case related to the colonel’s administrative detention at military barracks, citing the defence ministry’s denial of holding Fayaz under military custody. His lawyer said the state’s refusal to acknowledge the detention puts Fayaz “outside the protection of the law and it could legally qualify as an enforced disappearance.”
20 Dec 2015, 09:00
Cadman proposed to lobby for sanctions and a tourism boycott for Nasheed’s release
Toby Cadman, the barrister who defended the jailing of former President Mohamed Nasheed at the UN on the Maldivian government’s behalf, first approached the opposition leader’s aides and proposed to lobby for a tourism boycott and sanctions on the Maldives to gain his freedom, The Maldives Independent can reveal.
19 Dec 2015, 09:00
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