Abbas angered over police announcement says govt. aware of his whereabouts

Abbas Adil Riza, 45, NooriKeela, K. Male’, has clapped back at the announcement made by Maldives Police Service seeking public assistance to locate him in order to present him before the Criminal Court in their custody.

Abbas’ photo was publicized in a public announcement as the police searched for him to present him before the Criminal Court in their custody as ordered by the court. The court order had been prompted as court summons could not be delivered to him due to unknown whereabouts.  

Abbas is charged with threatening destruction.

Three hearings have been scheduled in the case previously. All the hearings were canceled due to failure to serve him with the court summons as his current residence was unknown to the court. Similarly, the hearing scheduled for Tuesday afternoon – was also canceled.

Abbas, in a statement shared on Twitter, revealed he was abroad at the moment. He said he was accompanying his father on a medical trip. Underscoring he had not fled the country, Abbas said the country he is presently in alongside the name of the hospital where his father is seeking medical care, has been informed to the government.

He condemned the "cowardly act" by the government to defame him by insinuating he had fled the country to not appear before the court. He attributed the act as an "attempt to silence him" in his social media advocacy against government policies surrounding India.

The case against Abbas stems from a tweet he made in December 2022, which he alleged that the arson attacks in Addu City in during riots of February 8, 2012 following the fall of former president Mohamed Nasheed’s administration had been at orders from India.

He said the Indian High Commission should be torched in retaliation.

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, Abbas had expressed displeasure over how the money laundering trial against former Maldivian president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom had been proceeding, and called for arson attacks and unrest across Male’ on the social audio app Clubhouse.

He faces one year, seven months and six days in prison if found guilty of the charge against him.

Abbas had served as the President’s Office spokesperson during former president Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik’s administration, and as head of Maldives Customs Service and the trade representative to Malaysia during Yameen’s administration.