Raajje News Blog

#Maldives: The scale and range of corruption rampant in the administration of former President Mohamed Nasheed is only now being brought to light as the Auditor General reports on Nasheed's various Ministries and Government projects. In his report to the Parliament last November on a Harbor Project for Haa Dhaalu Kumundhoo, the Auditor General reported that the Nasheed Government had paid the contractor, Heavy Load Maldives, nearly 12 million Mrf in excess of the contracted amount of Mrf 10.3 million. Heavy Load Maldives is owned by MDP's Interim Chairman Reeko Moosa Maniku, MDP MP for Hulhu-Henveyru. The Auditor General reported that, by giving various unsubstantiated reasons, Heavy Load had stopped work on the project from 12 June 2008 to 7 Februay 2009. However, within months of coming to power, the Nasheed Government had paid Heavy Load over Mrf 4.7 million for this period, calling it "idle time", although the delays were on the contractor's side. In this...

#Maldives: Parliament's Finance Committee told media last week that the Auditor General had reported over 55 million MRF state funds had been given by former President Mohamed Nasheed's government to various parties without receiving any services or goods in return for the payment. The three cases totalling over 55 million MRF involved high ranking officials of Nasheed's party, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). One case involved Mrf 12.7 million paid by the Health Ministry to a company called F-Tech Solutions to supply medical supplies. F-Tech Solutions was owned by high ranking MDP officials, one of its Director's and Human Resources Officer being a Ms. Fathimath Shiuna (aka "Prepaid Shiuna), a leading MDP activist working closely with Nasheed. "Prepaid" Shiuna is reported to be Nasheed's personal secretary. Another F-Tech director, Riluwan Shareef, is also a leading member of the MDP. 'Prepaid' Shiuna also fronted a successful bid for a ...

#Maldives: November 3rd, 2012 marks the 24th anniversary of the bloody massacre that left the blackest of stains on Maldivian hearts and history. Nineteen innocent Maldivians were slaughtered and several injured. Hundreds were held at gunpoint for hours, many later taken away as hostages. Immense damage was given to public and private property. Maldives was rescued by troops sent by Indian Premier Rajiv Gandhi. The leader of the failed coup was a man called Sikka Ahmed Ismail Maniku, a man who had previous convictions for coup attempts against previous governments. The coup leader's nephew, Mohamed Nasheed, was installed as President in 2008, at the head of a political party whose top leadership comprised of family members and others involved in the 1988 November 3 massacre. Nasheed's cabinet, senior political advisors and state ministers included terrorists convicted for their involvement in the November 3 massacre. As Nasheed denounces the current government of Dr. Mohame...

#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: Four senior members of former President Nasheed's administration were culpable is a MRF 24 million scam, Auditor General Niyaz Ibrahim told the Parliamentary subcommittee on Finance yesterday. The individuals named included two high profile members of former President Nasheed's party Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) who had been given political posts when Nasheed came into power. They were Ahmed Assad, the younger brother of Nasheed's Housing Minister and close confidante Aslam and Abdulla Shahid (pic), one of the 11 involved in the November 3rd coup led by Nasheed's uncle Sikka Ahmed Ismail Maniku in 1988. Assad had filled the post of State Minister of Finance in Nasheed's government, while Abdulla Shahid had been State Minister of Defence. The scam involved embezzlement of state funds amounting to MRF 24 million, paid from the Ministry of Finance and Treasury for falsified invoices for services claimed to have been rendered to the National Centre fo...

#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...

#Maldives: Ex-President Nasheed and his militant party Maldives Democratic Party last week declared a ban on all courts of Maldives, in response to the scheduled start of human rights case against Nasheed. MPs and leading individuals of Nasheed's party are also currently facing charges ranging from terrorism, corruption, arson, vandalism, theft, pillaging and slander. Nasheed, together with four others, is being presecuted by the Prosecutor General for the illegal and unconstitutional arrest of the Chief Judge of the Criminal Court in January this year. Judge Abdulla Mohamed was arbitrarily arrested by the Military and held in solitary confinement upon Nasheed's orders as President and Commander in Chief. The Judge was released by incoming President Waheed after the transfer of power on February 7th upon Nasheed's voluntary resignation as President. During his tenure as President, Nasheed locked down the Supreme Court of the country using military personnel. He also abo...