"PPM Office assets taken in presence of police"

Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom's faction of the divided ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) cannot be held responsible for the assets taken from PPM's Office as they had been removed in front of Maldives Police Service officers, declared his daughter Yumna Maumoon on Wednesday.

Following the political fall out between PPM's leader Maumoon and his half-brother and incumbent President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, which had divided the ruling party into  two factions, the Civil Court had ordered Maumoon to hand over PPM's control President Yameen. In the wake of the court order, President Yameen's faction of PPM had removed all assets, documents and equipment of the party from its former office, which is used by Former President Maumoon's faction.

However, President Yameen's faction had later filed a case over a hard drive, containing important party documents and information, that was missing from the assets they took.

Speaking to the press after being summoned to Police headquarters for an inquiry on the case, Yumna proclaimed that the police officers maintaining security at PPM's Office after the Civil Court's verdict had told the party that the locked office will be opened only in the presence of officials from both factions. However, someone had broken the lock of the office in the absence of leader Maumoon's faction and taken all of PPM's assets and documents from the building.

“On my way home [that day], I heard that a group of people had forced their way into the office in our absence and taken everything. So even today I gave my statement again that we cannot be held responsible, and that the police had been there at that time," she said, pointing out that Maumoon's faction cannot be expected to explain what had gone down in PPM's Office in their absence.

Yumna added that the issue had been reported the same night to the police.

Since the investigation began, Police has raided PPM’s Office as well as the apartment of Abdul Aleem, the Secretary General appointed by Maumoon's faction. Aleem and Aminath Nadhira, the deputy leader appointed by Maumoon's Factions were also summoned Police headquarters for questioning.