Chinese President Xi Jinping promised to build the Thilamalé bridge for free if his incumbent Maldives counterpart had won re-election in 2018, former president Abdulla Yameen claimed, questioning the feasibility and price tag of his successor’s US$500 million India-funded ‘Greater Malé Connectivity Project.’
In contrast, the US$210 million Sinamalé bridge built during his administration was more beneficial and only cost US$68 million as the rest was Chinese grant aid, the opposition leader contended at an event held to welcome new members to the Progressive Party of Maldives.
Two men arrested in connection with 42kg of heroin found buried in a house in Malé were released from custody. The Prosecutor General’s office declined to press charges as the police were found to have conducted the search without a warrant after seeking permission from the previous owner of the residence, according to media reports.
A 21-year-old man died of stab wounds sustained in a suspected drug-related assault that occurred in Addu City around 3:10 am. Mohamed Zayan Moosa passed away while undergoing treatment at the Addu Hospital’s ICU, a police media official confirmed to the press.
A 19-year-old man was also severely beaten in Addu’s Feydhoo island on Tuesday. He was brought to Malé for further treatment.
The Elections Commission urged the public to file complaints of fraudulent registration in political parties, assuring legal action “without exception.” As a new verification measure, the commission has started publishing names from membership forms and notifying people via text message with a week to file complaints.
The EC also decided to fine parties MVR10,000 (US$649) for each fraudulent membership form submitted after 1 April 2022. The registrar will be fined MVR5,000 for the first offence and MVR10,000 for repeated offences.
A ruling party lawmaker was recently registered to a newly-formed party without his knowledge.
A ban on the import, production and sale of common single-use plastics came into force.
- straws
- plates
- cutleries
- stirrers
- Styrofoam boxes
- cotton buds with plastic stems
- plastic bottles below 500ml (carbonated and non-carbonated drinks except water)
- toiletries in bottles below 50ml,
- drinking cups below 250ml
- sweet areca nuts in plastic packing (supari)
- shopping bags smaller than 30 by 30cm
Plastic shopping bags below 50-micron thickness as well as shampoo, conditioner, soap and lotion bottles from 50 to 250ml will be banned on 1 March 2023. The local production and sale of plastic water bottlesbelow 500ml must cease by 1 September 2022. Plastic water bottles below 1 litre will be banned on 1 March 2024.
The environment ministry thanked the public “for the excellent support you are giving to the efforts of waste segregation.”
Nine members of the Maldives Media Council issued a resolution calling for the resignation of the council’s president, Shahubaan Fahmy, after he was questioned by the police on suspicion of money laundering. Together with his brother, former lawmaker Alhan Fahmy, the MMC president is a shareholder of the King’s Forex Trading company, which is under investigation over an alleged Ponzi scheme.
Shahuban has refused appeals by a majority of the 15-member media regulatory body to resign in order to protect the institution’s reputation and integrity. In late May, he narrowly survived a no-confidence motion as the support of 10 members was required for removal from the post. Four members voted against impeachment.
The Maldives Journalist Association expressed “grave concern over the harassment, intimidation and threats targeted at journalists” after an individual forcibly entered the offices of Mihaaru and threatened staff. The newspaper condemned an alleged campaign on social media to incite hatred against its journalists and bring the outlet into disrepute.
The Hajj Corporation announced a price of MVR76,960 (US$4,990) to perform the pilgrimage under 100 slots opened to the public. The rest of the 438 quota assigned to the Maldives by Saudi Arabia was reserved for customers on the corporation’s waiting list. The annual quota was down from 1,000 before the pandemic.
About 3,500 people have reportedly paid 75% of the Hajj Corporation’s MVR69,965 (US$4,500) price to be waitlisted.
Indian giant Afcons Infrastructure declared “100% certainty” of completing the 6.7km Thilamalé bridge on schedule as a group of Maldivian journalists visited its head office in Mumbai during a trip arranged by the Indian High Commission in Malé.
According to the briefing, the geotechnical survey is due to be completed in October, design work is underway, 164 engineers will be on site by the end of the year with a total workforce of 1,227, the bridge will connect to Vilimalé on 23 July 2023 ahead of opening to the public on 15 August, the connection to Gulhifalu and Thilafushi is due in December, and the full US$500 million project will be completed in November 2024.
High Court Judge Abdul Rauf Ibrahim resigned ahead of an impeachment vote in parliament. Along with Judge Abdulla Hameed, the Judicial Service Commission recommended his dismissal over the pair’s acceptance of government-owned apartments at discounted prices during the previous administration.
Former judge Ali Sameer, who recently resigned from the High Court, was appointed deputy prosecutor general.
A man found guilty of torching two boats and a speedboat in Baa Kendhoo in April 2015 was sentenced to two years in prison.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih appointed Hassan Sobir as the Ambassador to Japan and Omar Abdul Razzak as the Ambassador to Belgium and the Mission to the European Union.
The removal of an ‘India Out’ banner from former president Abdulla Yameen’s residence was unlawful, the High Court ruled. The police took down the banner with a warrant from the criminal court on the grounds that it was harming public interest. But a three-judge High Court panel annulled the lower court order upon appeal by Yameen. The police failed to show how the banner constituted an act that threatened public interest or order and the reasons for the criminal court’s decision to grant the warrant was unclear, the judges noted.
State Minister for Education Ahmed Riyaz was suspended by the president’s office. According to media reports, he was accused of sexual harassment by five female staff at the ministry. He denies the allegations.
President Solih returned to Malé after participating in the two-day ‘Viyavathi’ conference on decentralisation on Ukulhas island in Alif Alif Atoll. After a sports festival on Friday, the four sessions of the conference focused on fiscal and legal autonomy for local councils, formulating land use plans, the role of Women’s Development Committees, and the future of decentralisation.
44 gangs with more than 2,800 members operate in Malé, the police revealed in a presentation at the ‘Viyavathi’ conference. Gang members listed by the police include 60 minors. Gangs are also active in the southern atolls but their presence has not been noted in central and northern atolls.
Gang violence and murders significantly declined in recent years as gang leaders resolved disputes through dialogue to avoid disruptions to the lucrative drug trade. Guesthouses, restaurants and other businesses are used as cover for money laundering.
Of 31 young men killed in gang-related murders, six victims were fatally stabbed in cases of mistaken identity.
The Prosecutor General’s office launched a database of laws, regulations and rules related to the criminal justice system.
