Will remain with citizens in spite of attacks: MP Ameeth
Conveyed wishes to public from jailed MPs
Maduvvari Constituency MP Mohamed Ameeth waves to well wishers prior to transfer
Maduvvari Constituency MP Mohamed Ameeth had vowed to remain steadfast with the citizens and to uphold their rights, in spite of the many attacks on him.
Speaking just before his transfer back to Dhoonidhoo island after the appeal hearings of his remand on Thursday, MP Ameeth reaffirmed his commitment, in spite of the personal attacks on him.
He said he was doing well and conveyed greetings to the public from the MPs in Dhoonidhoo along with him.
Elections Commission had stripped MP Ameeth from his seat on July 18th. He was jailed in Dhoonidhoo island by Police following his attempt to enter Parliament grounds. Criminal Court had set a 15-day remand for him.
In the hearings MP Ameeth said he was arrested on the grounds that he was no longer a Parliamentarian and on top of that he had been deprived from the most basic of rights. As such, he said he was given access to fresh water after five days. Prior to that he said he had to drink water from the tap in the toilet.
He added that he had been kept in solitary for the first seven days, deprived from sunlight. This was granted after he had begged. MP Ameeth said that cell had no air circulation and he was exposed to the elements.
MP Ameeth had appealed the Court to take into account his rights as a Parliamentarian and an elected representative of around 5,000 citizens when delivering a verdict.
The appeal hearings were concluded on Thursday.
Prosecution argued the Party had notified the Elections Commission of the dismissal after the Supreme Court had issued the ruling on floor crossing. As such, the prosecution said that EC had received a letter from the Party on July 18th, stating that MP Ameeth was dismissed in March and that he was notified of it. However, the lawyer stressed that this letter did not request that MP Ameeth should be removed from the Party’s register and therefore, it was not done so.
Due to this, the prosecution said MP Ameeth was not removed from the Party’s register. MP Ameeth, he said, was dismissed from the Party after he had refused to revoke his signature on the no confidence motion on Speaker Abdullah Maseeh.
Responding to that, Riffath stated that there was no way a member can be removed twice, without having become a member after the first dismissal. He added that MP Ameeth had on multiple occasions requested that he be removed from the Party and as such, he should not be penalized for EC not being able to carry out their responsibilities.
The defense stressed that EC had acted with bias over the issue of stripping the MP from his seat. He also said the Commission had acted against the Political Parties Act and failed to complete their procedures.
Prosecution in rebuttal, argued that requests for removal must first be sent to the Party. EC, he said, will act only when the member is not removed within a 14-day period. The Commission, the prosecution argued, was attempting to clarify the status, when MP Ameeth was removed from the Party for the second time on July 18th.
In addition to MP Ameeth, MPs Mohamed Waheed Ibrahim, Saud Hussain and Ahmed Faris Maumoon have been jailed.
