The Prosecutor General (PG)’s office has withdrawn the case filed regarding the 12 opposition-aligned lawmakers who were charges with obstruction for allegedly having broken polie ranks and entering Parliament premises during a military lockdown on the 24th of July 2017.
Military officers had locked down the Parliament on the 24th of July so as to prevent parliamentarians from entering the building, on a day that a vote of no-confidence against parliament speaker Abdulla Maseeh was scheduled. The MPs were charged with obstruction for trespassing the Parliament during a lockdown, and has been sentenced under the Penal Code’s clauses 532 (a) and (c) on the 17th of August 2017.
Following allegations of trespassing, then opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Parliamentary Group leader and current President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, MP for west-Maafannu constituency, Mohamed Falaah and MP for Kinbidhoo constituency Abdulla Riyaz had been summoned for questioning at the Police Headquarters, the same day.
Moreover, MPs for Maduvvari constituency, Mohamed Ameeth, Thulusdhoo constituency Mohamed Waheed and Villingili constituency Saud Hussain had been arrested the same day.
The government has since been using security to keep the 12 MPs out of parliament, and Parliament has since convened only to pass bills important to the current government, and confirm appointments of individuals nominated by President Abdulla Yameen. 2018’s state budget and last year’s bills were also approved without the presence of the 12 opposition MPs, whose defection gave the opposition clear majority in parliament, they were unseated so as to quash a no-confidence motion against Speaker Abdulla Maseeh.
While the Elections Commission had unseated the 12 lawmakers since, the Supreme Court had on the 08th of October, ruled to re-seat four of the 12 lawmakers. As such, Maduvvari MP Ameeth, Dhidhoo MP Abdul Latheef Mohamed, Villingili MP Saud and Thulusdhoo MP Waheed were re-instated. Supreme Court is yet to reach a decision on the re-instatement of the eight remaining MPs.
The remaining eight MPs are, Kinbidhoo MP Abdulla Riyaz, Central-Hithadhoo MP Ibrahim Mohamed Didi, North-Hithadhoo MP Mohamed Aslam, Kendhoo MP Ali Hussain, South-Henveiru MP Mohamed Abdul Kareem, West-Maafannu MP Mohamed Falah, Nolhivaram MP Hussain Areef, and North-Henveiru MP Abdulla Shahid.
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