Parliament Committee to summon PG Shameem over Ali Waheed's departure

Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem has been summoned to the Parliament’s Judiciary Committee over the release of former Tourism Minister Ali Waheed’s passport. 

Ali Waheed departed from the Maldives to the UK on February 10, after his passport was released by the Criminal Court. He had been charged with a number of sexual crimes by employees of the Tourism Ministry which saw him get fired from his post. 

Four female parliamentarians then requested an inquiry into the matter in a letter to Speaker Mohamed Nasheed after expressing concern over the departure of Waheed. The four MPs are Addu-Meedhoo MP Rozaina Adam, Hinnavaru MP Jeehaan Mahmood, Deputy Speaker, and South Galolhu MP Eva Abdulla and Thulhaadhoo MP Hisaan Hussain. The Judiciary Committee has forwarded the letter which moved to summon PG Shameem. Shameem is to be summoned next Monday. 

The letter by the MPs seeks to confirm whether the state had not objected to the release of Ali Waheed’s passport. The letter also seeks to clarify which measures the PG Office was taking to ensure that Ali Waheed’s trial would go on. Furthermore, it requested to seek any changes that needed to be brought to the legal procedure to prevent any such instances and the measures to be taken for the enforcement of these changes.

The PG Office has now appealed the decision to release the passport of Waheed. His travel documents were released after an Orthopedic doctor named Dr. Yoosuf Shaan testified in court that Waheed required spinal surgery. Waheed’s passport was released for four months. If he does not return within the time period, the State Minister of the Youth Ministry Assad Ali (Adubarey) is to face the legal consequences, after being named as the guarantor. Ali Waheed's sudden departure had seen the government met with intense outrage.