Presidential commission on Yumnu case officially dissolved

The Presidential Commission established to investigate the case of 21-year-old Hawwa Yumnu Rasheed, who fell onto the roof of an adjacent warehouse from the ninth floor of H. Fentenoy in the early hours of April 18, has officially been dissolved.

On Sunday, the President's Office stated that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has dissolved the "Special Presidential Commission" investigating the incident that occurred in the capital Malé City on 18 April 2025. The dissolution was carried out through a decree issued by the president, in accordance with Article 22 of the Presidential Commissions Act.

The commission was established on 27 April 2025, under the authority granted to the president by Article 115 (k) of the Constitution of the Republic of Maldives.

The commission was tasked with conducting an independent, impartial, and credible investigation into the case of a young Maldivian found fallen on the roof of a house in Malé on April 18. It was to determine the truth of the incident, review the work done by relevant institutions so far, take necessary measures, conduct a fair and just investigation into the matter, and advise the president.

The commission's investigative report was made public on 17 June 2025.

The President's Office in June revealed that the president had instructed the Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology, and the Ministry of Health to implement the findings and take necessary actions as highlighted in the commission's report.

It has been revealed that Minister Ihusaan repeatedly provided some information from the investigation of the incident where Yumnu fell from the stairwell window on the ninth floor of H. Fentenoy to former Undersecretary for Digital Strategy at the President's Office Daud Ahmed, the brother of Raud Ahmed Zilaal, who is the chief suspect in the case. This has been stated in the report compiled after concluding the investigation of the presidential statement related to the case.

Some aspects of the Presidential Commission's report have been ordered to be implemented. As such, the president instructed the Maldives Police Service (MPS) to revise their SOPs, familiarize employees, provide training, and to investigate and take corrective measures against the employees who were negligent in Yumnu’s case, in a bid to ensure that the issues highlighted in the report regarding the police are not repeated.

The president also ordered an investigation into the discrepancies between the statement given to the police by Daud and his statement to the Presidential Commission.

Further, the president has instructed the Ministry of Health to take necessary steps to strengthen the administrative matters of Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) and its FPU, as part of implementing the findings highlighted by the Presidential Commission.

Although action has been ordered in relation to the issues identified in the report, the government has not yet disclosed any measures taken in this regard.

The commission's report also stated that the call made by Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Mohamed Ameen to former Commissioner of Police Ali Shujau while a police press conference was ongoing, was unacceptable.

Although a special commission was formed and a report was compiled for the case, Yumnu's family has claimed that they do not expect justice and do not trust the commission.

The police investigation into Yumnu's fall in the early hours of April 18 has been subject to criticism from several members of the public. Many young adults in Malé City also held a series of protests, expressing distrust in the police's statements and the institution’s handling of the case. The police institution did not make any effort to find evidence from the roof of H. Mithaaz, where Yumnu was found fallen. It has been revealed that the investigation officers and scene of crime officers who went to Fentenoy for investigation on the evening of April 18 did not climb onto the roof of H. Mithaaz to search for evidence either.