President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has established a special presidential commission to probe the case of a young woman who fell from a building in Male’ on April 18th.
The Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry was established by a presidential decree under the powers vested in the President under Article 115(o) of the Constitution.
According to the President’s Officer, the been assigned to carry out an independent, credible, and impartial investigation into the incident involving a young woman found collapsed on a rooftop in Malé on April 18th, 2025. The Commission's mandate includes uncovering the facts of the case, assessing the response of relevant authorities, identifying necessary actions, and ensuring the inquiry is conducted fairly and objectively.
The President has appointed three members to the Committee:
1. Dr. Mohamed Munavvar, G. Hassankaarige 2. Brigadier General (Retired) Ahmed Mohamed, V. Almaan 3. Dr. Mohamed Habeeb, Seesanmaage, S. Hithadhoo
Munavvar has been appointed the President of the Commission.
Under the authority of the Decree, the Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry has been granted the following powers and privileges:
To request cooperation and assistance from all state institutions, agencies, and individuals as needed;
To engage specialized foreign experts to aid the investigation;
To utilize the investigative powers granted to law enforcement agencies under the Criminal Procedure Act (Law No. 12/2016);
To seek arrest warrants and other judicial orders required for the inquiry;
To summon individuals for questioning and compel the submission of documents, evidence, or any material relevant to the case;
To subpoena documents, evidence, and information held by any institution or entity that previously investigated the incident.
The Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry will remain until the President declares that its mandate has been fulfilled.
21-year-old Mariyam Yumnu was found injured on the rooftop of a warehouse in the Henveiru district at around 07:30 am on April 18. According to the police, their investigation uncovered that she fell from a skylight on the ninth-floor stairwell of the adjacent building, H. Fentenoy, but that there was no evidence of foul play.
But before her fall, she had been part of a group of at least nine individuals who were at Ma. Maandhooge Dhekunuge- for a party, where they are believed to have possibly consumed drugs and alcohol.
There soon emerged allegations of a police coverup after it became known that the individuals involved have family links to influential figures, including a cabinet minister and a diplomat. The police only named Yumnu, and did not name the other persons of interest in the case, including Raudh, until six days later.
Meanwhile, the house where the group held the “party” was confirmed as the family residence of Transport Minister Mohamed Ameen, who admitted that two of his nephews were among the group of individuals involved, but denied he knew anything about what he described as the “gathering.”
In a press briefing on Thursday, the police said they were treating eight individuals – all of whom had been in the “party” with Yumnu – as persons of interest in the case. They are:
Raudh Ahmed Zilal, 21
Izdhiyaan Mohamed Maumoon, 28
Aishath Layaaly Iqbal, 22
Yoosuf Ahmed Akram, 22
Yoosuf Yassar Abdul Ghafoor, 28
Aminath Junaina Jamsheed, 24
Hussain Hamees Ali, 28
Ijaz Jaiz, 24
The same day, the police arrested Raudh, who had been with Yumnu in the last moments before her fall, for lack of cooperation. 
The police have said that both Yumnu and Raudh were heavily intoxicated at the time, and had both tested positive for narcotics. Clips of CCTV footage shared by police show Yumnu appeared to have trouble walking, and even fell down on the ground at one point.
The court order issued on Friday for Raudh’s remand extension by five days shows investigators believe Yumnu and Raudh had argued before she fell – something the police hadn’t mentioned in two press briefings held in the wake of the incident – a closed-door one on Tuesday and the open one on Thursday.
It also says that when questioned shortly after Yumnu’s fall, Raudh had responded with “I don’t know where she is” and “I think she fell.”
The case of Yumnu, who spent nearly three hours on the rooftop of a warehouse before a neighbor saw her and she was rescued, has sparked serial protests in Male’. The protestors, a vast majority of them young men and women, have been demanding justice for her, and the resignation of top government and police officials over the alleged coverup.
They have also demanded a free and fair investigation into the case, including the arrest and prosecution of everyone who had been with her before her fall, and an inquiry into police conduct in the case.