Malé, Maldives – The former Tourism Minister and alleged sexual offender Ali Waheed has stated that he is waiting eagerly to be extradited from the UK to the Maldives.
Ali Waheed, charged with seven counts of sexual offences including attempted rape exited the Maldives on February 10, 2021, after the court released his passport to receive medical treatment. Waheed was to return to the Maldives in June 2021.
On 3 March 2022, Maldives Police Service stated that an Interpol Red Notice was issued for the arrest of Ali Waheed upon his failure to return to the country and attend the court hearings.
The notice is yet to be published on the Interpol website. Referring to this, Waheed tweeted that he is waiting for the Red notice to be published.
Waiting eargerly for Prosecutor General [Hussain] Shameem to come to London and file for extradition at the London Court.
Ali Waheed
Regarding his court case, Waheed also added that he can taste victory. Referring to the victims of the case Waheed said that the world will see the “15 women” turn into 13 men and the two belts they wear.
The Prosecutor General’s Office is charging the suspect Ali Waheed with a total of seven counts of sexual offences 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 Maldives Penal Code 9/2014.
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.
To date, Ali Waheed has denied all the charges that were raised against him. However, if he is found guilty of the charges levied against him, Waheed will face up to 21 years imprisonment.
