Maldives government on Thursday revoked the passports of a self-exiled main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) chairperson Ali Waheed and five suspects wanted in connection to the largest corruption scandal in the archipelago's history.
In addition to Waheed--granted political refugee status by the UK, immigration department has also revoked the passports of five suspects implicated in the Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation (MMPRC) scandal who have since been declared fugitives.
The five include Allam 'Moho' Latheef, who owned the front company through which nearly USD80 million in state funds was embezzled and Mohamed ‘Oittey’ Hussain, driver of the now deposed vice president Ahmed Adheeb Abdul Ghafoor who is serving 33 years in prison for two counts of terrorism and corruption.
In a statement, the immigration department insisted that fugitives and suspects at large cannot remain abroad on Maldivian passports which prevents local law enforcement authorities from carrying out investigations.
Immigration said foreign authorities have been informed of the cancellations.
Latheef is also one of the four shareholders of the company that owns Hibilhadhoo island in Baa Atoll, which is being developed as a resort, from where the armed forces had discovered a large weapons stash in October.
Local authorities, meanwhile, has identified Latheef and several others as wanted in two separate cases related to the explosion aboard the presidential speedboat late September confirmed as an attempt to kill the president. Interpol has issued red notices for Latheef, who had fled the Maldives after the blast and is reportedly residing in UK.
Immigration department earlier this month had also revoked self exiled former president Mohamed Nasheed and former vice president Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed.
The immigration’s move came after Nasheed travelled to neighbouring Sri Lanka in what has reportedly been to attend a series of sit-downs over an imminent move to oust incumbent president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom from office.
Jameel however, had not traveled to Sri Lanka for reasons still unknown.
The newly formed opposition alliance had said it will seek to oust incumbent president Yameen and form an interim government to ensure free and fair elections scheduled in 2018.
The cancellation of the passports also come in the wake of a documentary by Al Jazeera which has exposed shocking evidence of mass corruption, thuggery and international money laundering.
Created by the Emmy and BAFTA winning Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit, the documentary titled ‘Stealing Paradise’ contains leaked documents and text messages derived from three mobile phones which belonged to the now jailed ex-VP Adheeb.
It also contains secretly filmed confessions of Adheeb’s former aides including Latheef and Hussain who admits to having delivered ‘bags full of cash’ on Adheeb’s orders to top government and state officials.
Maldives government has denied the allegations, labeling the documentary as biased and in pursuance of an already declared agenda against the government.
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