GDh. Atoll, Maldives — Former Home Minister of Maldives, Umar Naseer states that the Prosecutor General’s Office failing to appeal the 149kg drug case and dismissing the charged five suspects shows lack of constitutionalism in the country.
The statement from Umar comes after the carelessness of the Prosecutor General Office and the Police resulted in the dismissal of five suspects who were related to a massive drug bust.
Umar criticized this action and posted on Facebook saying that the failure of appealing this case shows the lack of constitutionalism in the country and how deep the roots of a drug dealer has gone in the state.
The state can only be saved by cutting these roots and by bringing a hardworking leadership with a strong objective. Hopefully, Maldivian citizens will see that day. Maldivians will see a community that is free from the danger of drugs.
Umar stated.
On April 29, 2019, the police seized 149kg of drugs during a 72-hour-long multi departmental police operation. According to Police, they were tracking the drugs from the point it entered the Maldivian waters until it was transferred to a speedboat and later transported by a dinghy to an uninhabited island where it was buried.
The Police revealed that they pressed charges against five suspects regarding the case. They are:
- Ahmed Aneel, 34, Gahaakoalhi, G. A. Kondey
- Ahmed Haameem, 42, Edhuruge, G. Dh. Gadhdhoo
- Shafeez Mohamed, 35, Romance, G. A. Kondey
- Yamih Hameed, 23, Edhuruge, G. Dh. Gadhdhoo
- Ali Shakir, 30, Dhikhshan Villa, G. A. Nilandhoo
While the Prosecutor General’s Office filed the charges against these five suspects to the Criminal Court, their case was dismissed by the court during pretrial hearings pointing that the charges have to be filed with a court in the region where the crime took place. This is why, the Prosecutor General’s Office filed the charges with the Gadhdhoo Court without informing or asking the High Court.
On Sunday, the Magistrate Court of Gadhdhoo dismissed the case along with the charges against the five suspects citing that the charges were filed after the legally mandated time frame for submitting charges had passed.
Due to this, the MP of North Maafannu Constituency and the Chairman of Majlis Judiciary Committee, Imthiyaz Fahmy also submitted the case to the Judiciary Committee of the Parliament as he calls on to hold those accountable in the dismissal of the case by two courts.
This is a huge issue. We will find who is responsible for this matter.
Imthiyaz stated.
The drugs found in Hulhuvaarulu include opiates and cannabis. The opiates weighed 96.36 kilos and the cannabis weighed 47.27 without the packing. The street value of the drugs is estimated to be above MVR 260 million.
