President's security breach: no case submitted to EC

A complaint has not yet been filed to the Elections Commission against the opposition coalition for obstructing the motorcade of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s security was breached, after protestors from the opposition coalition comprising of Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) and the People’s National Congress (PNC) blocked his motorcade from proceeding, while he was returning from an event late Monday evening.

When asked by RaajjeMV, whether a complaint has been filed to the Commission against PPM and PNC for obstructing the motorcade of the President , the Commission disclosed that a complaint has not yet been filed.

The Commission went on to say that if a complaint is filed regarding a matter within the jurisdiction of the commission, it will be investigated.

Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) has constituted a special committee to investigate the obstruction of the motorcade of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

A statement released by MNDF says that the committee was formed by the Minister of Defense, Mariya Ahmed Didi, in consultation with the leadership of the National Defense Force.

The statement went onto disclose that MNDF has suspended the Commanding Officer of Presidential Guards, Colonel Abdullah Ibrahim from his post, in accordance with the procedures followed by MNDF in such cases.

The unit has been temporarily handed over to Deputy Commander Major Ahmed Haleem.

Furthermore, the People’s Majlis Committee on National Security Services or the 241 Committee is also looking into the matter.

The committee decided to look into the actions of the institutions involved and how the opportunity was facilitated for the opposition to breach the President's security.

As an additional point, it was decided to investigate the reason why the motorcade had to be turned around.

The Maldivian president’s security was breached by the opposition while he was returning from the official function held in Hulhumalé to celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day.

His motorcade was passing through Boduthakurufaanu road when opposition protesters stopped his car and blocked its path.

Videos circulating on social media show that the president’s motorcade was blocked near Cibo restaurant. The videos show police officers trying to stop the protestors from blocking the motorcade.

Some protesters took to social media saying that the president was unable to travel through the area and had to withdraw the motorcade.

The president’s security breach has shaken the nation, with some people asserting that this act cannot be seen as a political gimmick, with some even stressing that President Solih wasn’t given the full level of security he required at the time.

Four people have been arrested following the incident. They include a woman and three men. They were remanded in custody by the Criminal Court. As such, MPS disclosed that two of the four people were remanded for five days and the remaining two were remanded for 15 days.