Malé, Maldives — The Amendment to assign an official residence for Speaker of Parliament has been sent to the Parliament’s Committee on National Security Services.
The amendment bill was presented by the MP for Feydhoo Constituency Mohamed Nihadh on behalf of the government and has been approved by 51 Parliament members.
The amendment sent to the Parliament’s Committee on Member’s Privileges and Ethics to settle an official residential house of the Speaker states that the state will provide an official residence for Speaker of Parliament and his family along with as many staff needed. The state will also take care of all the expenses in that household.
In addition to this, an amendment has also been made to the law for the state to allocate official residences for the Chief Justice of Maldives.
This decision to provide secure housing was followed by the recent terror attack that took place against Speaker Nasheed near his house on May 6.
The IED explosion went off around 20:20 on 6 May leaving Speaker of Parliament, Mohamed Nasheed critically injured while he was getting into his car near his house, G. Kenereege, Malé City.
The attack happened near Nasheed’s current residence where four wheelers are unable to reach the house directly due to motor cycles parked on one side of the road. Speaker Nasheed walks out to Majeedhee magu where his car is usually parked which causes a potential risk. He was attacked on May 6th while he was walking out to his car.
In addition to Speaker Nasheed, 3 more people were also been reported to be injured from the explosion including the Speaker’s bodyguards and bystanders.
Nasheed was taken to ADK with heavy bleeding, and both internal and external shrapnel injuries. Ball bearings were found in Nasheed’s chest, near the heart. Injuries caused by these projectiles caused life threatening damage to the chest area. Nasheed endured major injury to the fourth rib, with a blade going through a lung. A projectile also went through his intestine with another near his liver.
Speaker Nasheed was treated at the Critical Care Unit of ADK hospital in Malé until he was airlifted to Germany on May 13, 2021 for recovery and rehabilitation. Parliament had previously revealed that Speaker Nasheed’s medical expenses in Germany is being covered by Honorary Consul of Maldives in Germany, Christian Von Stetten.
The former President still remains in Germany after he was released from the German medical hospital on May 21, where he went for recovery and rehabilitation for the injuries suffered in the May 6, 2021 assassination attempt on him. According to his family, he will remain in Germany for a month before returning back to Maldives.
The police is currently investigating the cause behind the attack on the Former President. 4 individuals have been arrested so far, all of them indicating radicalisation. The Parliamentary Committee is investigating into the security breach of the Speaker following the terror attack.
