JP Leader Gasim swears by God, that he was offered $8 m by MDP

Leader of Jumhooree Party (JP) Gasim Ibrahim has said that he was offered $8,000,000 (MVR 123,360,000) by Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), if he agreed to support MDP presidential candidate Mohamed Nasheed in the second round of the presidential election.

Gasim said this while speaking at a press conference at Kunooz.

He said that he knows why some senior members of JP decided to join MDP, and that he himself was offered $8 million in cash by MDP.

“I swear by God, they came to me yesterday evening with a bag full of cash, with $8 million. I won’t say who offered the money, but if I have to, I will. Just now I won’t mention who it was,” he said.

Gasim also implied that MDP’s activities are funded by foreign groups, and that the JP members who joined MDP accepted bribes. He said that they went to MDP ‘for money’ and that they were ‘bought’ by MDP.

The JP members who announced today that they have decided to join MDP are JP Deputy Leader (former MDP President) Dr Ibrahim Didi, former Transport Minister Dr Ahmed Shamheed, JP Council Member Moosa Rameez, and Male’ City Councillor Ahmed Hameed.

Gasim said that Didi, Shamheed and Rameez are ‘spies’ and ‘MDP agents’.

Referring to Didi’s remark that Gasim was forced to declare support for Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) for the second round of the election, Gasim said that this is indeed true. He said that he was forced to support Yameen because the country’s independence, religion, economy and assets are currently at stake.