Shifan dismissed as Police Spokesperson; Arif appointed as replacement

Assistant Commissioner of Police Ahmed Shifan has been dismissed from his position as Maldives Police Service’s chief spokesperson.  

Sun has learned that Shifan has been replaced with Superintendent of Police Arif, who has previously in senior capacities within various departments of the police service.

Shifan’s removal from the post comes after he served as the public face of the institution for a lengthy period.

Notably, serious allegations against Shifan were brought to the attention of Parliament’s Committee on National Security Services (241 Committee) last November, including claims of misconduct and the abuse of his official position.

The allegations were submitted to 241 Committee in a letter signed by 11 senior police officers, all above the rank of Chief Inspector. According to the letter, the investigations into the allegations against Shifan, who is accused of attempting to frame two senior police officers, was obstructed due to his close association with Dhiggaru MP Ahmed Nazim, who had served as the deputy parliament speaker up until his resignation recently at the face of a no-confidence motion against him.

However, Shifan has categorically denied these accusations, describing them as personal attacks. He has also accused another Assistant Commissioner of tampering with his official records to include false information.