The Parliament Committee on the Oversight of the Government has decided that Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim and Police Commissioner Abdullah Riyaz have violated the constitution, and passed to send a case against them to the Prosecutor General’s (PG) Office. This decision was passed unanimously by the members of MDP present at the meeting.
This decision comes following refusal by Nazim and Riyaz to attend the committee to provide information on the change of government. Kaashidhoo MP Abdullah Jabir proposed to the committee to decide that Nazim and Riyaz have violated article 99 of the constitution, and this proposition was supported by Baarah MP Mohamed Shifaz.
The proposition was passed with votes in favour by the five members present at the meeting. They were Jabir, Shifaz, MDP Parliamentary Group Leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Kendhikulhudhoo MP Ahmed Eesa and Kulhudhuffushi-North MP Abdul Gafoor Moosa.
Chief of Defence Force Ahmed Shiyam has also refused to provide information to the committee, but the committee has not passed that he violated the constitution.
Jabir said that article 99 states that it is compulsory to attend the committee for inquiries, and that they have violated the law.
Article 99 of the constitution states that the parliament has the power to summon any person to appear before it to give evidence under oath, or to produce documents.
Lawyers representing Nazim and Riyaz have said that the investigation by the committee of the report of the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) is being carried out against the law, and that Nazim and Riyaz do not have to attend an inquiry that is being conducted outside the mandate of the committee.
Following the refusal by the President’s Office to provide the statements obtained for the CNI report, the committee has summoned 13 people for questioning regarding the change of government.