President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has announced that an investigation has been launched into a suspicious meeting held between a state official and a convict.
Addressing a special function held to welcome new members to ruling Progressive Party of Maldives, the President said that an investigation has been launched into a meeting held in a resort between Hussain Humam, who has been convicted of the murder of prominent scholar and parliamentarian, Dr. Afrasheem Ali, and a senior state official. He added that the investigation was been carried out under a presidential directive.
The president said that the state official removed the convict from prison and took him to a resort for the alleged meeting, and that the investigation has now received a statement from one of the prison officers who were in attendance when the incident took place. The president added that once the investigation is over, it would be clear, who wants Humam dead and why.
Addressing the issue of floor crossing, the President said that the parliamentarians who left PPM still have the opportunity to return to the party. President Yameen revealed that the parliamentarians who left PPM should think twice and reminded that although the parliament is a separate power of the state, it too has boundaries that cannot be crossed.
President Yameen urged that if the corruption cases of authorities such as Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) and FPID are being talked about, it is important to focus on acts of corruption by parliamentarians. The President Yameen highlighted that the Parliamentary Privileges and Immunities Act can only be used on special cases.
The President also said that all necessary arrangements to implement the death penalty would be completed by September.