An audio recording believed to be of defence minister Adam Shareef Umar's meeting with the special protection group (SPG) of the army has been leaked.
The meeting was reportedly held after the chaos in parliament on Monday as opposition lawmakers surrounded the speaker's table to block the sitting.
The authenticity of the 36 minute audio could not be verified as the defence minister was unavailable for comment.
In the audio, the minister assures the soldiers that the authorities would pursue criminal charges against the opposition lawmakers saying that he had urged the police chief and the home minister to expedite the process.
The minister also assured that he obtains legal advise from both the president's legal advisor Azima Shakoor and prosecutor general Aishath Bisham before issuing any orders. He is heard saying that the protection under the parliament communities and privileges for lawmakers had limitations and would not cover assault and destruction of property inside the parliament.
"If I had been there, I would've definitely broken somebody's jaw. But I know you [soldiers] always act with patience and integrity. I truly salute you all. Because despite everything, if you were to lash out, it'll bring more disrepute to this country. So you being calm and collected in the face of such adversity is truly something I wish to point out.