Malé, Maldives – Five senior officers of Maldives Police Service have filed a case against the Police Board at the Civil Court for unfair dismissal from positions.
The Police Board made the decision to remove seven senior officers from their posts with the authority invested by the Maldives Police Service Act (Law No. 34/2020). The officers dismissed from their positions are,
- Assistant Commissioner Faruhadh Fikury
- Assistant Commissioner Mohamed Jamsheed
- Assistant Commissioner Ahmed Mohamed
- Chief Superintendent Abdulla Shareef
- Chief Superintendent Ahmed Shuhaadh
- Superintendent Mohamed Dawood
- Superintendent Ismail Shameem
All the officers excluding Assistant Commissioner Faruhadh Fikury and Chief Superintendent Ahmed Shuhaadh are filing a case against the Police Board through Dhivehi Chambers law firm.
The statement by Dhivehi Chambers state that the officers were dismissed unfairly without being given the opportunity to make their case.
The officers’ lawyers have filed motions at the Civil Court to issue stay orders preventing the dismissal of the plaintiffs and requested the court to prohibit the Police Board or other authorities from taking any actions which may affect the officers’ ability to do their jobs.
The Police Board was constituted by the President of Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on 9 April 2021, as per section 75(A) of the Police Service Act (Law No. 34/2020).
The Act grants the Police Board the authority to reappoint all officers above the rank of a superintendent, excluding only the Commissioner of Police. The Board’s decisions are implemented by the Commissioner of Police.
In their statement, the Police Board cited the powers afforded by the act and explained that the officers were investigated as stipulated in the Police Service Act for dismissals, with regards to the abuse of power, infringement of human rights or corruption.
