Members of the Parliament have expressed concern over senior politicians having connections with the notorious conmen Artur brothers and have said that it is a threat to national security.

Two Armenian citizens, the Artur brothers are suspected of drug trafficking and other illegal activities and known to make deals with senior government officials in different countries around the world to carry out illegal trades.

Maldivian Democratic Party parliamentary group member Maafannu-south MP Imthiyaz Fahmy submitted an extraordinary motion to the parliament session today raising concerns about the alleged connections of two cabinet ministers with and the Artur brothers.

Presenting the motion to parliament, MP Imthiyaz Fahmy said that Tourism Minister Ahmed Adheeb and Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim have held meetings with the Artur brothers on three different occasions and that these meetings took place in Hulhumale’ and Farukollhufushi, the island resort west of Hulhumale’.

MP Fahmy said that: “Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim and Tourism Minister Ahmed Adheeb have held three public meetings with the Artur brothers. They have held meetings in Hulhumale’ and Farukolhufushi, and even though Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim has said that they have left [the country], their departure is not yet certain.”

MP Fahmy continued to say that the two members of the cabinet having relations with these two Armenian men, accused of large criminal activities in a number of countries around the world, is a threat to national security. He described it as a “terrifying” issue.

“This is directly related to national security. As it is an extremely worrying and terrifying matter, I would like to raise the concern and bring this matter to the attention of the parliament, and submit the issue as an extra ordinary motion as granted under articles 145 and 149 of the parliament regulation,” MP Fahmy said.

During the following debate after the accepting MP Fahmy’s motion to the parliament, the MPs from the Progressive Party of Maldives accused the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) of having connections with Artur brothers.

Vili-Maafannu MP Ahmed Nihan Hussain Manik said that MDP had loaned money from the “such notorious people” and had failed to pay them back. Nihan said that rumors have been circulating that MDP had brought the Artur brothers to Male’ and had registered a company in conjunction with the brothers and an MDP activist in order to set up guest house businesses to finance MDP’s activities.

“They brought the Artur brothers people to Male’, established a company for an MDP activist saying that they wanted to run guest houses, we heard that these things started even then [in 2011]. The proof is that the shareholder of the company established at the later stage was an MDP activist,” Nihan said.