Raajje News Blog

#Maldives: The Parliament's Counsel General Fathimath Filza told media today that the impeachment motion against President Mohamed Waheed by opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) is legitimate and can be put on the agenda accordingly. According to the Counsel General, the motion meets the criteria set out in Section 100 (b) of the Constitution. Section 100 (b) stipulates that the impeachment resolution as provided for in subsection (a) of the same Section, must be submitted to the Parliament (People’s Majlis), under the hand of at least one third of the members (amounting to 26 members presently), specifying the reasons. The motion was submitted to the Parliament on October 10th, signed by 28 MPs of the MDP, thereby meeting the criteria of number of MPs required to table the resolution. An impeachment motion requires a 2/3 majority of the Parliament to vote in favor of the motion. With the current composition of the Parliament, presuming that a member would be elected to th...

#Maldives: Over a week after the brutal murder of MP and moderate Muslim scholar Dr. Afraasheem Ali, authorities have yet to reveal details of the murder and subsequent arrests. Police confirmed three days ago that a fifth arrest had been made in relation to the murder. Social media report that all five are activists from former President Mohamed Nasheed's party Maldivian Democratic Party. Dr. Afraasheem was a public target of Nasheed and his Maldivian Democratic Party, which went so far as to call him "Dr. Ibilis" (translation, "Dr. Devil). The MDP's hate speech against Dr. Afraasheem was part of their campaign against the country's Judiciary and the Judicial Services Commission (JSC). The murder victim, at one time the JSC's Vice-President, was accused by Nasheed and his party as a "traitor" who violated the Constitution and appointed a "corrupt" Judiciary consisting of "his friends". The campaign against Dr. Afraasheem ...

#Maldives: The three judges presiding over ex-President Nasheed's trial have been arbitrarily summoned to appear before a Parliamentary Committee just 15 minutes before trial is scheduled to begin. The Parliamentary Subcommittee has a majority of MPs belonging to Nasheed' party Maldivian Democratic Party, and is led by MDP MP Ali Waheed (MP for Thoddoo Constituency). Nasheed is facing criminal charges for ordering the military arrest and detention of Chief Judge of the Criminal Court Abdullah Mohamed. The case was brought against him, together with four others, by the country's independent Prosecutor General Ahmed Muizzu. The PG's case is built upon an investigation by Maldives Human Rights Commission, another independent body appointed by the Parliament. The Parliamentary Committee's summons has been transmitted to the three judges by Speaker Abdulla Shahid. The Supreme Court and the Judicial Services Commission, an independent body entrusted with judicial admi...

#Maldives: The police arrest of ex-President Mohamed Nasheed yesterday sparked greater international coverage than the military arrest at the crux of the criminal case against Nasheed: Nasheed's arrest of Chief Judge of the Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed. In contrast, in Maldivian social media, the military arrest of Judge Abdulla on Nasheed's order as Commander-in-Chief drew greater condemnation than yesterday's arrest of Nasheed. Although Nasheed's party, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), repeatedly called for nation-wide protests yesterday, there was lacklustre response on th streets even in the MDP strongholds of Male' and Addu City. Despite concerted efforts by the MDP leadership and MPs from MDP on MDP aligned media station Raajje TV and on Twitter and Facebook, the support was lukewarm with most supporters making do with just a "LIKE" but stopping short of condemnation. The sharp contrast in yesterday's MDP response and that on February 8t...

#Maldives: The Supreme Court and the Judicial Services Commission have called upon the Parliament to stop interference in the judiciary and to respect the separation of powers as guaranteed under the constitution. The call was made in response to the decision by the Parliamentary Subcommittee on Government to summon before it the three Majistrates on the bench to hear the criminal case against former President Mohamed Nasheed. The summons to the Majistrates was for 3.45 on 9th October, just 15 minutes prior to the scheduled time for the first hearing in Nasheed's criminal trial. The Parliamentary Subcommittee has a majority of MPs belonging to Nasheed's party Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and is headed by MDP MP Ali Waheed. Nasheed was arrested earlier today upon a court warrant issued due to Nasheed's violation of two court orders in the case. In separate press statements both the Supreme Court and the Judicial Services Commission provide legal and constitutional gr...

#Maldives: Following ex-President Mohamed Nasheed's arrest, the Parliamentary Subcommittee on Government has summoned the three majistrates concerned to appear before it tomorrow at 3.45 pm. Nasheed's trial hearing is scheduled for 4 pm. Nasheed's party, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) holds a majority on the Parliamentary Subcommittee which is headeed by an MDP MP Ali Waheed (MP for Thoddoo constituency). Nasheed's arrest today was in conjunction by an arrest warrant issued by the court in conjunction with his non-appearance in court in the criminal case brought against him by the country's independent Prosecutor General Ahmed Muizzu. The charges are raised for the military arrest and detention of a judge upon Nasheed's orders while he was President of the country. Nasheed had violated two court orders in the case and departed on campiagn publicly declaring that the court was illegal and that he would not obey any summons by it. MP Ali Waheed has told me...

#Maldives: The police arrest of former President Mohamed Nasheed this morning shocked the populace of this tiny nation, as it did those interested parties outside the country. The news spread through local and international media like wildfire. Nasheed was arrested this morning by Maldives Police Service while he was campaigning in the southern island of Fares-Maathoda. MPS say the arrest was in response to a court order, ordering MPS to produce Nasheed before court tomorrow to face criminal charges lodged by the country's independent Prosecutor General, for Nasheed's actions in the arrest and detention of the Chief Judge of the Criminal Court in January 2012. Nasheed's party, Maldivian Democratic Party, has called for nation-wide protests against the arrest. Nasheed and his supporters, local and international, allege that the case is "politically motivated" in an attempt to prevent him contesting the presidential elections in 2013. The courts have three cases a...

#Maldives: President Mohamed Waheed Hassan's Government today secured a major victory in Parliament. The Parliamentary Committee on General Matters unanimously approved a motion to amend Parliamentary Regulations to allow Government bills to be tabled to Parliament by MPs belonging to Dr. Waheed's coalition partners. Dr. Waheed's Government has been shackled in the Legislature due to the lack of even a single MP from his party Qaumee Itthihaadh. Parliamentary Regulations state that a Bill by Government can only be tabled by a member of the ruling President's Party. The amendment passed in Committee today states that a Government Bill can be tabled by an MP belonging to any of the parties in the ruling Coalition. The amendment will now go to the Parliamentary floor for a vote. The ruling coalition has a nominal majority in Parliament and can pass the motion if all goes well. However, one of the major coalition partners in Govrnment in terms of MP numbers, Dhivehi Rai...

#Maldives: September revenue collection is 2% less than forecast, announced Maldives Inland Revenue Authorty yesterday. In a fact sheet publicized yesterday, MIRA reported that revenue collection in Maldivian Rufiya for September totalled 6.6.3 million and 29.2 million in dollars. This was an increase of 16% over September 2011, but a decrease of 2% from the projected value. Tourism land rent contributed 36.4% to total revenue, while Goods and Services Tax contributed 28.6%. Business Profit Tax contributed 12.3%, Tourism Tax 11.3% and Airport Service Charge 4.3%. Over 50% of US dollar revenue was from Tourism Land Rent while Tourism Tax contributed 15.6%, thus making it 65.7% YS dollar revenu directly from the Tourism industry. These figures is brings into sharp focus the high dependence of Maldives on the tourism industry, and industry now being threatened by former President Mohamed Nasheed and his friends overseas.Mohamed Nasheed has consistently carried out campaigns over...

#Maldives: Corruption in governments lives on long after the corrupt leader is removed from office. Such is the state of Maldives, after its liberation on February 7th, 2012 from the corrupt administration led by former President Mohamed Nasheed. Even after the national liberation movement that removed the corrupt leader from office, powerful networks of loyalists are left in place that attempt to strangle the resurgence of the independent sovereign state. Eight months after Nasheed's resignation from office, Maldives is still struggling to rehabilitate the fledgling democracy that he raped together with his money hungry partners. The corrupt leader rules through outright bribery, graft and corruption on a far larger scale than comprehensible to the ordinary citizen. The beneficiaries of the corrupt leader's largesse range from multinationals, rich playboys, international networks promoting private agendas, local businesses, party activists, drug dealers and local gangs. Such...

#Maldives: Fresh reports on social media state that Mariyam Naifa, a senior MDP activist, paid three gang members to murder MP Dr. Afraasheem Ali. All four arrested are front line members of former President Nasheed's party, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). Dr. Afraasheem has been the target of former President Nasheed and his party leaders while serving as Vice President of the Judicial Services Commission (JSC). Days before his murder, Nasheed launched a book by a close friend and MDP Activist Aishath Velezinee which denounces Dr. Afraasheem as deliberately obstructing justice, subverting the Judiciary, and undermining the Constitution. Nasheed is currently running from the law, refusing to appear before the court in a human rights case brought against him by the country's independent Prosecutor General. Dr. Afraasheem belonged to the party headed by former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Progressive Party of Maldives. He was found violently hacked to death a few days ago, ...

--> #Maldives Police today arrested four persons in relation to the brutal murder of MP and moderate Muslim scholar Dr. Afrasheem Ali. One of the individuals arrested was Mariyam Naifa, a leading activist of ex-President Nasheed’s party, Maldives Democratic Party. Unconfirmed reports in social media state identify a second individual amongst the arrested four to be a member of a gang providing “security” to MDP Interim President “Reeko” Moosa Maniku. A book launched by Nasheed on 10 th September repeatedly attacks Dr. Afrasheem, former Vice President of the Judicial Services Commision (JSC) at the time the majority of the present Judiciary was sworn in, calling him a “traitor” who allegedly subverted the Judiciary. Dr. Afrasheem’s murder comes within hours of Nasheed’s refusal to appear before court in a human rights abuse case against him. Nasheed refused to obey the court, denouncing the Judiciary as political and not to be obeyed. Nasheed, holding a lifetime position as the...