Male’, Maldives – Prosecutor General’s Office (PG) has stated that they have lodged six cases of attempted rape and sexual abuse against the former Tourism Minister Ali Waheed at Criminal Court on November 18, 2020.
According to the PG Office, a total of seven counts of sexual offences were filed through the six cases against the former minister at the Criminal Court of the Maldives. These being;
- One count of sexual abuse under article 16 of the Sexual Offences Act (17/2014)
- One count of attempted rape under article 15 of the Sexual Offences Act (17/2014)
- One count of indecent exposure under article 132 of The Constitution of Maldives
- One count of sexual harassment under article 18 of the Sexual Offences Act (17/2014)
- One count of attempted sexual abuse under article 19 of the Sexual Offences Act (17/2014)
- Two counts of unlawful sexual contact under article 81 and 412 of The Constitution of Maldives
This comes after the Maldives Police Service had previously revealed that discussions to complete their investigation on Ali Waheed was underway with the Prosecutor General’s Office and that after bringing amendments to all necessary areas, the matter has been forwarded to the PG Office.
Waheed was terminated by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on the 9th of July after he refused to turn in his resignation as per the president’s order a few days prior.
After he was fired, Waheed’s mobile phone and laptop were confiscated by the Maldives Police Service as evidence in the investigation. Waheed was also placed under a travel ban following the incident.
In an interview after being summoned to the police for questioning on the matter, Waheed described the accusations against him “politically motivated” and that he was framed. He also said that the public will learn the truth after the investigation was concluded.
In addition to the sexual harassment case, Ali Waheed is also under investigation by the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) regarding eight different issues which were highlighted in the compliance report published by the Auditor General’s Office, concerning the expenses made by the Ministry of Tourism with regards to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic
