Customs seized 3.3kg of drugs smuggled through courier, including MDMA, mephedrone and cocaine. The street value was estimated at US$843,000.
A 33-year-old woman and her four children have been brought back to the Maldives as the first family to be repatriated from a refugee camp, the home ministry revealed, adding that they were facing “life-threatening” conditions in the undisclosed warzone.
The family is being held in “administrative detention” for a risk assessment at the national re-integration centre, according to the police. Two children born overseas will be registered as citizens after a DNA maternity test.
According to the police, 173 Maldivians were known to have joined terrorist organisations in Syria and Iraq as of December 2019, many of whom were killed in battle. Of 59 Maldivians left in Syria at the time, 91 percent were women and children. Lack of identification documents for children was the main obstacle to bringing back destitute widows who wanted to return.
Leading the opposition’s ‘India Out’ protest in Alif Dhaal Mahibadhoo, former president Abdulla Yameen alleged that an agreement to develop a naval dockyard authorises Indian warships to enter Maldivian waters and allows Indian soldiers stationed here to carry weapons without permission. The opposition leader implied that India had foreknowledge of the 1988 coup attempt by Sri Lankan mercenaries and questioned the speed with which India mobilised its air force to foil the attack. He also accused the Indian High Commission of writing the 1 February 2018 Supreme Court ruling that ordered the release of political prisoners.
The Addu City Council sparked outrage by uprooting more than 50 coconut palms on the link road. One of the most Instagrammed spots in the southernmost atoll, the Ruhfasha area was considered a landmark. But the council claimed that falling coconuts posed a danger to drivers. Mayor Ali Nizar argued that the palms did not provide any shade or benefit to the public.
Four men charged with murdering 24-year-old Ahmed Jailam Shakir in February 2015 were found not guilty by the criminal court. The judge cited a lack of evidence after a key witness retracted his testimony.
The High Court upheld an October 2019 civil court judgment for MP Abdul Ghanee Abdul Hakeem to pay MVR523,627 (US$34,000) owed to Alia Investment by the ruling party lawmaker’s Logwood Maldives company.
The Supreme Court overturned the acquittal of a man who sexually abused his two daughters and sentenced him to 20 years in prison. Contrary to lower court verdicts, the apex court ruled that the evidence – including testimony from eyewitnesses and the underaged victims – was sufficient to prove guilt.
The Judicial Service Commission announced its decision to appoint two new judges to the civil court.
