A single mother and two young children who were thrown out by her ex-husband have been taken under state care, according to Moms Aid, a charitable NGO that provided assistance to the family after the eviction last week.
The gender ministry enrolled the family in a programme that provides temporary security for victims of domestic violence. The period of shelter would be determined after an assessment.
Since their plight was shared on social media last Sunday, Moms Aid said it has raised MVR164,730 (US$10,682) in donations to help the family. The funds will be used to offer support with rent and other expenses when they are released from state care, the NGO said.
After a second fire incident on a Hiya flat balcony this month caused by a lit cigarette thrown from upstairs, Urbanco warned of “harsh action” against perpetrators, including the seizure of their apartments. Fines of up to MVRR100,000 (US$6,485) could be imposed on repeat offenders, the state-owned developer of Hulhumalé said, citing the agreement for the social housing units.
The fire was quickly put out and no one was harmed.
Shortly after the incident, a Hiya flat resident shared a video of lit cigarette filters that fell on to his balcony.
The Prosecutor General’s office has withdrawn bribery charges against Youth and Sports Minister Ahmed Mahloof, the criminal court confirmed. The PG office told the media earlier in the week that the decision was made because the evidence was insufficient to prove guilt.
Mahloof, a former lawmaker, was accused of accepting a US$33,000 bribe from then-tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb to vote for the previous government’s special economic zones legislation in 2014. The charge stemmed from a joint investigation by the police and presidential asset recovery commission into the theft of US$90 million during the previous administration, the bulk of which was resort acquisition fees that were siphoned off through a private company and used for bribes and political purposes.
Mahloof previously claimed he was a “sacrificial lamb” for the corruption scandal, whose beneficiaries include sitting lawmakers and top government officials.
The decision to drop the charges caused a rift within the PG office, Dhauru reported. Public prosecutors in the unit that handles cases related to the corruption scandal had threatened to recuse themselves if Mahloof’s case was withdrawn, a source claimed. They were reportedly replaced with new prosecutors before the case was taken back.
Several hearings scheduled in Mahloof’s trial were cancelled in recent months. In August last year, Transparency Maldives questioned the “political will to end corruption and hold to account powerful political figures” after a hearing in Mahloof’s trial was cancelled upon request by the president’s office. The minister had been accompanying the president on an official trip to Meemu Atoll. Mahloof remained in the cabinet despite a ‘zero tolerance’ policy to fire political appointees charged with corruption.
A public referendum on switching to a parliamentary system is a key condition for Speaker Mohamed Nasheed’s backing of Jumhooree Party leader Qasim Ibrahim in September’s presidential election, according to media reports.
Negotiations have been taking place between the JP and Nasheed’s faction of the divided Maldivian Democratic Party over the past few weeks. Despite losing the MDP’s primary in January to President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Nasheed refused to endorse the incumbent, alleging widespread fraud and the disenfranchisement of 39,000 members.
The JP formed a three-member committee to review Nasheed’s proposals. Contrary to media reports, he did not propose prolonging the term of the current parliament beyond mid-2024, a JP official told Dhauru. A public referendum was proposed to be held after the presidential election on 9 September but before the next administration assumes office on 17 November, Mihaaru reported, citing a leaked document, which also included constitutional amendments for dividing executive powers between the president and a prime minister to be elected by parliament.
Nasheed and Qasim has requested a meeting with President Solih, Adhadhu reported on Friday.
On numerous occasions in the past, Qasim had declared his opposition to changing the system of government. Nasheed has long advocated for a parliamentary system, contending that forming coalitions – a necessity in Maldivian politics as no presidential candidate has been able to win above 50% of the vote without broad coalitions – is detrimental in a presidential system as disproportionate power (cabinet and political posts as well as outsize influence) must be ceded to smaller parties that are unable to win parliamentary seats. Coalition deals have no legal weight under the Maldives constitution.
A US$57 million contract signed with an Indian company in May 2022 to build four hospitals was cancelled because financing could not be secured, the health ministry explained to Mihaaru after the newspaper filed a right to information request.
The project was to be funded under a buyer’s credit scheme by the Indian EXIM Bank, which assigned the contractor. But the agreement was terminated because funding could not be arranged within the agreed upon 90-day timeframe. Hospitals were to be built on the islands of Haa Alif Dhidhdhoo, Raa Alifushi, Dhaalu Kudahuvadhoo and Gaaf Alif Villingili.
On 2 April, the health ministry signed an agreement with the Chinese International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) to conduct a feasibility study for building the four hospitals.
In March, the China National Electrical Engineering Company (CNEEC) was enlisted for a US$142.9 million tourism project in Addu City. It was the largest project awarded to a Chinese company by the current administration, whose key infrastructure projects are financed by India and carried out by Indian contractors.
The new deals prompted speculation about a policy shift or rebalancing effort. Questions were also raised about the ability of Indian developers to complete projects on schedule.
The finance ministry refused to disclose companies that have been paid MVR96.8 million (US$6.2 million) as compensation this year. In response to a right to information request by Mihaaru, the ministry said the settlement agreements prohibit disclosure of identity to a third party. The planning and infrastructure ministry also refused to provide the information although the compensation had been paid over projects awarded by the ministry to private contractors.
The MVR97 million payout figure was included in the finance ministry’s weekly fiscal developments under ‘Losses and Write-offs.’ A total of MVR101 million was budgeted for compensation in 2023.
Over the past four years, the government paid MVR1.6 billion as compensation to various parties, mainly over the termination of contracts by the previous administration. In 2021, the Anti-Corruption Commission warned that the lack of standards or guidelines followed by the government’s settlements committee paves the way for graft and undue benefits.
An assessment audit released earlier this month revealed that the government had paid MVR29 million to Noor Islamic International – a joint venture formed by the operator of the NIMS hospital in India – after the cancellation of a 2017 contract with the Indian company to manage the Kulhudhuffushi Regional Hospital. The agreement was terminated in October 2019 and compensation was paid over the next two months. The hospital still owes MVR1.7 million billed by suppliers and contractors during the previous management, the audit found.
A video shared on social media of an opposition protester blocking a bus in Malé’s ring road drew outrage. It showed two flag-waving protesters stand in front of the bus and refuse to let it pass.
The blocking of buses in front of the opposition headquarters on the outer road is a common occurrence, according to Adam Azim, CEO of the Maldives Transport and Contracting Company, whose subsidiary Raajje Transport Link provides the public transport service in the capital. Traffic jams on the busy road are also common when opposition protesters are gathered outside the Progressive Party of Maldives office.
Opposition supporters have been protesting ceaselessly since former president Abdulla Yameen’s 11-year imprisonment on bribery and money laundering charges. Several protesters are taken into custody after clashes with riot police but most are released in a few hours.
The president’s office spokesman dismissed criticism of government policies by former State Trading Organisation CEO Hussain Amr as “unsubstantial and politically motivated.”
Amr was sacked in late March after he campaigned for Speaker Mohamed Nasheed against President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in the Maldivian Democratic Party’s primary. He continued to back the former president as he refused to endorse Solih and represented Nasheed in talks with the Jumhooree Party.
In a three-page statement on Tuesday night, Amr accused the Solih administration of straying from the MDP’s values. Uncontrolled spending and unmonitored projects were to blame for the government having to hike the goods and services tax and reduce the fish purchasing price, decisions that caused “irreparable losses” to the public, he contended.
Countering Amr, the president’s spokesman, Miuvaan Mohamed, said the economy suffered as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact of the war in Ukraine, which were beyond the government’s control. He also denied Amr’s allegations about blocking a project to build a flour factory in Kulhudhuffushi.
The High Court quashed a criminal court order for former president Abdulla Yameen to pay US$3.4 million to the state following his bribery and money laundering conviction over the no-bid lease of Vaavu Aarah. The asset recovery order was issued nearly two months after the opposition leader was handed an 11-year jail sentence on 25 December. But the criminal procedures law requires such orders to be issued along with the verdict, the High Court ruled.
Yameen’s legal team lost a separate appeal against pre-trial rulings in the bribery and money laundering trial over the lease of Raa Fuggiri island. Lawyers had challenged the legality of several decisions by Judge Ahmed Nadheem, including the acceptance of former vice president Ahmed Adeeb as a defence witness, contending that his testimony would be prejudiced due to his animosity towards Yameen. But the High Court ruled that admissibility could be challenged during the trial.
Both cases stemmed from a corruption scandal in which US$90 million was stolen during the former president’s administration. In the Fuggiri case, Yameen is accused of accepting a US$1.1 million bribe to lease the island for resort development. The Sun Construction and Sun Investment companies of resort tycoon Ahmed Siyam as well as businessman Ahmed Riza were charged as co-defendants.
The High Court also rejected appeals filed by Sun and Riza over the criminal court judge’s rulings on pre-trial motions.
International press freedom organisations condemned death threats made against Dhauru journalists over an article about US$24 million owed as damages to Hilton by resort magnate Ahmed Siyam Mohamed’s Sun Travel.
The long-running litigation arose from Sun’s abrupt cancellation of a management agreement for the Irufushi resort in April 2013.
Titled ‘The Siyam and Hilton case: A red warning to investors,’ the story by Ahmed Naaif suggested that political influence over the Maldivian judiciary was behind the local company’s success in stalling and deferring the payment. The Singapore International Arbitration Centre ruled in favour of Hilton and awarded damages to the American hotel chain in August 2015. But the arbitral award remains unenforced eight years later as Sun filed legal challenges and appealed decisions.
In early February, the civil court ordered Sun to settle the dues, including compensation and accrued fines. But on 2 April, the High Court granted a stay order halting the enforcement pending a judgment on Sun’s appeal of the civil court order.
The High Court injunction indicated political influence as Maldivian law requires the enforcement of international arbitration decisions, unnamed lawyers told Dhauru, noting a Supreme Court precedent that prohibits appeals as a delaying tactic.
The stay order came after Siyam’s Maldives Development Alliance formed a coalition with the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party and endorsed President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih for September’s election. The MDA was previously allied to the then-ruling Progressive Party of Maldives during former president Abdulla Yameen’s administration. “This is a favour for a coalition leader. I don’t see any other reason in this,” a lawyer was quoted as saying. An unnamed businessperson expressed concern over the signal sent to foreign investors.
Following the article’s publication on 6 April, both Naaif and Dhauru senior editor Ahmed ‘Hiriga’ Zahir “received multiple threats through phone calls and messages,” according to the Maldives Journalists Association.
Siyam personally called Hiriga and demanded the removal of the article. The Sun resorts owner and MP for Dhaalu Meedhoo – who also owns media outlets under the Sun brand – allegedly told the veteran editor that it was “a final warning,” Dhauru reported. A complaint was lodged with the police over the threats, some of which warned of confrontations on the street and advised Naaif to leave the country within five days. Youth loyal to Siyam would not hesitate to “kill or die” for him, Naaif was warned.
The threats pose “a grave concern for all journalists,” the International Federation of Journalists warned. “The media industry is united against threats to reporting and the vital role that journalists play in holding the powerful to account. The Maldivian people must condemn these attacks as an attack to all and the public’s right to know.”
Reporters Without Borders demanded that Naaif be placed under police protection and urged the government to ensure the safety of journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists called on the authorities to “swiftly and impartially investigate the recent threats” and to hold the perpetrators accountable.
The Human Rights Commission of Maldives echoed the calls for a thorough investigation.
But the IFJ’s local affiliate, the MJA, noted the failure of the police to successfully investigate any such threat against journalists to date. Most recently, Adhadhu chief editor Hussain Fiyaz Moosa was sent a death threat over his article about criminal gangs and religious extremism.
On Monday, MPs debated a motion without notice over the threats. MPs in the MDP’s faction opposed to President Solih cast doubt on the possibility of an impartial investigation.
The Sun Siyam company, which operates five high-end resorts in the country, condemned the Dhauru article as defamatory.
The civil court dismissed a lawsuit filed to annul the Maldivian Democratic Party’s primary. The court accepted a jurisdictional challenge filed by the MDP, which contended that the petitioner Ali Amjad was not a member of the party and therefore lacked legal standing. A letter from the Elections Commission, which stated that its entry of Amjad as a member in MDP’s register was an administrative error, was taken as conclusive proof that he is not a member, according to his lawyer Dhiyana Saeed.
The legal challenge had been mounted over the “MDP leadership’s actions in disenfranchising 39,911 members.”
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih won the January 28 polls with 61% (24,566 votes) against Speaker Mohamed Nasheed’s 39% (15,641 votes). But Nasheed refused to concede, alleging widespread fraud and blaming the removal of 39,000 members.
A fire at Addu City Hithadhoo’s garbage dump took 21 hours to bring under control. No one was harmed. It was reported at 4:34 p.m on Monday and the military’s firefighters dug a hole to draw water. The fire was controlled around 1:30 p.m and the Waste Management Corporation’s excavators were used to pile sand on the smouldering heaps.
Smoke continued to rise two days later, prompting the military to launch a special operation to dig out the burning embers in the bottom of the trash heap.
More than 180 clients of the Al Safa Group flew to Saudi Arabia to perform the Umra pilgrimage. Last week, the private group’s clients feared they would not be able to travel after a last-minute cancellation over the failure to obtain visas. But the visas were later secured and a chartered flight was arranged for their travel.
Following the cancellation – which happened after luggage was taken to the airport – the Islamic ministry told the company to rearrange the trip during Ramadan at no additional cost and criticised it for not seeking the visas well in advance. Umra visas are obtained through private agencies.
Safa blamed its Saudi Arabian partner, which attributed the delay to a “system error”. The Saudi agency has since reimbursed the visa funds (US$220 per pilgrim), according to Safa, which charges MVR40,000 (US$2,594) for the three-week pilgrimage.
The company’s owner told Mihaaru that it cost MVR3.35 million to secure the visas and arrange a charter flight.
Hundreds of Maldivian pilgrims have been leaving to perform the Umra during the last 10 days of Ramadan.
Malé Mayor Dr Mohamed Muizzu condemned the removal of trees for the Ameenee Magu redevelopment despite opposition from the city council.
Hitting back, the Road Development Corporation’s managing director posted a letter from the council that instructed the company to dispose most of the trees. There was no choice but to remove the trees, Moosa Ali Manik insisted.
In October, the civil court refused to grant a stay order to halt the uprooting of the trees. Citing irreparable damage to the environment, Speaker Mohamed Nasheed’s lawyers argued there were alternative ways to rebuild the road. But the court ruled there was no legal right to protect with an injunction.
In the face of public criticism over the loss of greenery from the Malé thoroughfare, including large trees with full canopies, the president’s office spokesman told the press that it was necessary to remove the trees to upgrade underground water and sewage pipes as well as cable networks, which were entangled with roots.
The Road Development Corporation said in September that the uprooted trees will be replanted on the Kudagiri picnic island. New trees will be planted where possible and ‘tree pits’ will be placed throughout upon completion, according to the RDC, which has since fallen behind schedule in laying asphalt.
The pro-government majority in parliament rejected a motion without notice submitted by an opposition lawmaker over MVR2.8 billion (US$181.5 million) owed by Fenaka Corporation to various companies. Suppliers and contractors with unpaid bills from the state utility – which operates powerhouses on most islands outside the Malé region – include many small businesses that are facing bankruptcy, MP Adam Shareef Umar warned. Wasteful expenditure for political purposes was the reason for the company’s poor finances, he alleged, calling for a management and financial audit. Shareef’s motion, which would have opened the floor to a debate, was narrowly rejected.
Fenaka’s arrears reportedly include MVR1.8 billion owed to the State Trading Organisation for fuel purchases dating back to 2019. The utility company’s debt now exceeds the value of its assets, according to STO’s former CEO Hussain Amr.
Business owners protested outside Fenaka’s head office on Sunday.
On Wednesday, Fenaka was reported to have purchased an Audi Q7 car worth MVR2.9 million in February 2022 for the personal use of managing director Ahmed Saeed. The Fenaka boss denied any wrongdoing.
An Indian man was acquitted on charges of stabbing his wife in the expatriate couple’s residence in Malé on 2 February 2022.
A video of the police escorting a woman in a bloodstained dress was shared on social media at the time. According to media reports about the suspect’s remand hearing, the 27-year-old man – identified as Srinivasan Subramani – confessed in court to stabbing his wife during a domestic dispute. He had then stabbed himself in the stomach “out of fear” when the police arrived. The woman also told the police she was stabbed by her husband.
But she retracted the statement during the trial. In her testimony, she told the court that the injury had occurred after she fell asleep while chopping vegetables. She claimed to have made a false statement because the police threatened deportation. As the case was built on her testimony, the judge declared the defendant not guilty.
Speaking at a campaign rally ahead of the Guraidhoo by-election, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih pledged to upgrade the Maafushi health centre to a hospital. The finance ministry has been asked to set a budget for building an operation theatre, he said. He also pledged to connect Maafushi via a bridge to newly reclaimed land, expand the island’s harbour and establish a sewerage system.
The president travelled to the three islands that make up the Kaafu Atoll constituency – Gulhi, Guraidhoo and Maafushi – to canvass support for the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party candidate.
Guraidhoo MP Ibrahim Riza, who represented the constituency for nearly three terms, passed away on 23 February after battling cancer. His brother Hussain Riza is contesting as the opposition Progressive Party of Maldives candidate for the vacant seat. Riza will face off against MDP candidate Ibrahim Shaaz and Maldives National Party candidate Ali Areef, a former Dhivehi teacher. The election is scheduled for next Saturday (15 April).
The opposition has condemned new development projects in the constituency – including land reclamation in Gulhi and the awarding of plots from reclaimed land in Maafushi – as attempts by the government to unduly influence the election.
(Update: the MDP candidate narrowly won the election).
In its weekly update, the Health Protection Agency reported a surge in Covid-19 cases in Malé. Of 84 cases detected nationwide between 2 April to 8 April, 73 were from the capital.
After remaining in single digits since early November, there were 17 new hospital admissions during the past week, up from 16 new admissions in the last week of March.
The patients in hospital include a two-month-old baby and a one-year-old infant.
Citing lack of evidence to proceed to trial, the Hulhumalé magistrate court dismissed sexual assault charges against the husband of a ruling party lawmaker.
Abdulla Shaan, husband of Hinnavaru MP Jeehan Mahmood, was accused of sexually assaulting a 27-year-old Kenyan woman. The incident took place in June 2020 on a safari anchored in the Hulhumalé lagoon. The woman was said to have jumped overboard to escape. Shaan was arrested with another man at the jetty. Despite reportedly being intoxicated and in violation of lockdown rules, both suspects were released, sparking public outrage and protests. The police denied alleged political influence. Allegations of rape that surfaced in the media at the time were also dismissed as fabricated.
As MP Jeehan is a relative of the president, it became known as the “royal rape” case over the perceived impunity for the ruling class.
Ahmed Aslam, secretary general of the Raa Madduvari island council, died in an accident. The 40-year-old was reportedly crushed between a wall and a pickup that backed into the council garage, causing severe injuries. He passed away while undergoing treatment at the Ungoofaaru regional hospital.
Customs seized 1,800 grams of mephedrone that was discovered in packages that arrived from the UK. The drugs were hidden in 10 cans of cosmetics in two packages sent via courier. The estimated street value was MVR3.2 million (US$207,522).
On Thursday, customs officers at the airport found 4.98kg of heroin in the luggage of a Pakistani national. The 53-year-old man arrived on a flight from Karachi. The street value of the seized heroin was estimated to be more than MVR6 million.
After a child in Addu City tested positive for measles last week, the Health Protection Agency completed contact tracing and identified no further cases. As the disease had been eliminated in the country in 2017, even one case would be considered an outbreak, the HPA said last week.
Measles is a highly contagious airborne disease that mainly affects unvaccinated children and young adults. The virus affects the respiratory tract and causes a total-body red skin rash and flu-like symptoms.
After the Maldives was certified measles-free, a previous outbreak occurred in 2020. The refusal of some parents to vaccinate their children was blamed for the resurgence.
After the latest outbreak, all children identified through contact tracing are fully vaccinated and 19 adults found in a community survey to be without a vaccination history have now been vaccinated, the HPA said.
Samples are also collected from individuals presenting with fever and rash throughout the country as part of routine surveillance, it noted.
Naeema Moosa, a 62-year-old woman who was found dead in Noonu Manadhoo, was on the ground in her room with multiple injuries, the police revealed, confirming media reports that she had been stabbed to death.
Naeema’s family called the police on the evening of 7 April after not hearing from her. Police officers from the island’s station broke down the door and entered the house where she lived alone.
An investigation team, a forensics team and a forensics pathologist were dispatched from Malé for a homicide investigation, the police said. The body was handed over to the family for burial after the pathologist conducted an examination, took samples and decided there was no need for a postmortem. She was buried at 5:20 p.m.
No arrests had been made as of Friday (April 14) and the motive for her murder remained a mystery. The council’s permission was required for arrival and departures until the police investigation is concluded. The police searched four homes but had not identified a suspect.
Naeema worked as a cleaner employed by the council. Manadhoo has a population of about 1,000 people. A source from the island speculated that the murder was tied to sorcery as the deceased was alleged to have been a practitioner of black magic.
