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New home minister Imran Abdulla meets top Police officials

19 November 2018, MVT 13:12
Adhaalath Party's leader Imran Abdulla takes oath of office as the new Minister of Home Affairs. PHOTO/PRESIDENT'S OFFICE
19 November 2018, MVT 13:12

The newly appointed Minister of Home Affairs of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s government, Imran Abdulla, met the top officials of Maldives Police Service on Sunday night.

The Police Commissioner, Hamdhoon Rasheed, and members of the Police Executive Board gathered to meet at ‘Iskandar Koshi’ with Imran Abdullah for the first time since his appointment as Home Minister of the Maldives.

Imran is the president of religiously conservative Adhaalath Party, which is one of the three major political parties that formed the coalition in order to elect Solih as the president of Maldives. He is also the only one appointed to Solih's Cabinet out of the four leaders that formed the coalition.

Imran had been charged with terrorism for encouraging political unrest on the ‘May Day Protest’ that was held in 2015 during the former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom's regime. He was subsequently sentenced to 12 years in jail.

The Supreme Court, however, has decided to review Imran’s case after the landslide defeat of former President Yameen. Nevertheless, the court hearing of Imran is yet to be underway, while the Supreme Court has issued a temporary stay order on Imran's conviction.

Questions have been raised, on the other hand, regarding the newly appointed Home Minister as there is an ongoing case at the Supreme Court against him, which cannot be overruled by the executive branch of the government.

The former Chief of Justice, Ahmed Faaiz Hussein, stated on Monday that there is resistance against the decision of appointing Imran as the Home Minister.

According to Article 130 of Constitution, a member of the Cabinet immediately becomes disqualified if he is convicted of a criminal offence and sentenced to a term of more than 12 months, unless a period of three years has passed, or if he is pardoned for the offence for which he was sentenced.

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