MP for Dhiggaru constituency Ahmed Faris Maumoon, who was not allowed to travel out of the country on Sunday, has said that his passport had been withheld ‘under an expired court order’.

Faris learnt that he is not allowed to travel out of the country after checking-in at Velana International Airport on Sunday.

In a statement issued shortly after the incident occurred, the parliamentarian said that he was to travel to Bangalore, India on Sunday, to visit a close relative undergoing medical procedure. He said that he was informed that he will not be allowed to travel out of the country due to a court order issued against him. Faris said he was informed of this after he had checked-in and was going through the immigration process. He said immigration officers then seized his passport.

Noting that he has been summoned to the police headquarters a number of times since March 8, Faris said that he had received a notice from the Criminal Court, prohibiting him from travelling out of the country for a period of one month, starting from March 29 until April 28. He said that he was told that he will be informed if there are any other such issues.

“I would like to note that since the court order expired, authorities have not informed me that there is a travel ban against me”, added Faris.

Furthermore, Faris called on all state institutions to speed up any investigations that they may be conducting against him, and to take the necessary measures.