Ex-wife refutes claims of domestic abuse involving Faris Thoha

The former wife of Mohamed Faris Thoha has refuted the allegations of domestic violence raised against him.

Thoha was nominated for the post of member of Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) by President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, but was rejected by parliament due to these allegations.

Allegations of domestic violence were raised against Thoha in the interview conducted with him by Parliament's Human Rights Committee, based on complaints sent by the public.

Faris rejected the allegations during the interview. His ex-wife, State Minister for Fisheries Aminath Hussain Shareef, also refuted the claims.

“I never experienced any violence from Thoha,” Aminath said, criticizing media outlets for publishing domestic violence allegations without first seeking her comment, calling it highly irresponsible.

Aminath further confirmed that she had never submitted any complaints against Thoha at any government agencies.

Complaints against Faris also included allegations of inhuman acts. The complainant said that he had committed this act while he had been serving in MNDF, further claiming that this was the reason for him leaving the service. An MP questioned Thoha about this allegation as well.

Thoha responded that his resignation from MNDF had not been due to any such issues. He asserted that there had been no wrongdoing on his part while at MNDF, and that he had left the service due to having received a better career opportunity from a private company.

Thoha was also unable to provide adequate responses to questions posed to him about laws surrounding human rights. He said that he had not been able to properly review them.

After the interviews, parliament announced the marks awarded to two nominees. The candidate who scored more than 75 marks, as set by the General Purpose Committee, was former LGA CEO Mahmood Shafeeq.