Committee issues five-day notice to PG Shameem to respond to no-confidence motion

The Judiciary Committee decided on Wednesday to give Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem a five-day notice to present himself before the committee in response to a no-confidence motion filed against him with the Parliament.

The motion was proposed by Hulhudhoo MP Mohamed Shahid, the deputy leader of the main ruling People’s National Congress (PNC)’s parliamentary group, in a letter to Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla.

In a meeting on Wednesday, Shahid proposed summoning Shameem for a meeting with the committee. The motion was seconded by North Feydhoo MP Ismail Nizar.

It passed with the unanimous consensus of members attending the meeting, including lawmakers from the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP); South Hithadhoo MP Ibrahim Nazil and Kendhoo MP Mauroof Zakir.

Nazil said that Shameem was being subjected to serious blame, and that he finds it important he meets with the committee and provide credible information.

“The policies and ethics he maintains in his work will become clear to the beloved people of Maldives. This is why I voted in favor of this,” he said.

The committee’s chair, Manadhoo MP Husnee Mubarak said the notice will be sent later on Wednesday.

“With the passage of this motion, I will send a five-day notice today as required under the regulations,” he said.

In his letter, Shahid cites eight main reasons why Shameem should be dismissed. They are:

• The decision to file the sexual assault case against former tourism minister Ali Waheed
• The decision to file the corruption case against former sports minister Ahmed Mahloof
• The decision not to appeal the lower court’s dismissal of a 2020 rape case, known infamously as the “safari rape case”
• The decision to drop human trafficking charges against former Milandhoo MP Ali Riza
• The decision to drop charges in 77 cases of alcohol consumption
• The decision to drop charges in 13 cases of same-sex relations
• The refusal to look into the allegations of same-sex relations, drug abuse and mockery of Prophet Mohamed against Ahmed Shafeeu, the chief spokesperson of the Prosecutor General’s Office
• The decision not to pursue charges in the ventilator corruption case

The motion comes after a small crowd of protestors gathered outside the Parliament on July 1, demanding Shameem’s resignation. Their main concern was the failure to abolish indefinite detentions.

Shameem was appointed as the prosecutor general on December 8, 2019 by then-President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

He had been a frequent target for criticism by PNC leaders back then they had been in the opposition.

Shameem holds a Master of Laws in Criminal Law and Criminal Justice from the University of Sussex, the United Kingdom, and a Bachelor of Arts in Shari’a and Law from the Al-Azhar University in Egypt.

Prior to his appointment as the prosecutor general, he served in other top posts at the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office.