Supreme Court assures of commitment to rule of law

The Supreme Court has reiterated its commitment to upholding the rule of law in the wake of an unexplained explosion on the presidential speedboat that injured the first lady and two staff.

The brief statement issued on Tuesday evening makes no mention of the blast, but said that the apex court would take the necessary action to ensure peace and order in the Maldives.

“[A]s the guardian of the Maldives Constitutions and its laws, the Supreme Court assures the public it will use its authority to uphold the rule of law, and take the necessary action, according to the law, to ensure peace and order in the Maldives.”

President Abdulla Yameen escaped unscathed from the blast aboard the “Finifenmaa” speedboat. First Lady Fathimath Ibrahim sustained minor fractures to her spine, while a presidential aide and a bodyguard suffered burn injuries, according to a cabinet minister.

Fishries Minister Dr Mohamed Shainee was hospitalised yesterday with a bleeding nose, according to Haveeru.

An FBI agent and a nine-member Saudi Arabian forensic police team arrived in the Maldives on Monday night to assist the police with the investigation.

Mohamed Hussain Shareef, the presidential affairs minister, said the blast may have been caused by a mechanical failure, but said officials are not ruling out the possibility of an attempt on Yameen’s life.

Yameen appointed an advisory committee with six high-ranking police and army officers to advise the president to ensure such incidents do not occur in the future.

The committee does not include either the head of police or military.

The committee consists of Vice Chief of Defence Forces Brigadier General Ahmed Shahid, Colonel Abdul Rauf, and Captain Ali Ihusan from the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), and Assistant Commissioners Mohamed Jamsheed and Abdulla Nawaz as well as Chief Station Inspector Mohamed Shamih from the police.

Rauf and Jamsheed are the heads of the military and police intelligence departments, respectively. All six members reportedly took an oath after their appointment.

Several events, including the Elections Commission’s democracy week and the central bank’s inauguration of new bills, have been postponed indefinitely.