Govt. has given assurance that MP Qasim will be permitted to leave: Sameer

Jumhooree Party’s Secretary General Ahmed Sameer has stated that the Government had given full assurance that their leader and Maamigili Constituency MP Qasim Ibrahim will be permitted to leave and that the procedures to facilitate this were already underway.

The Parliamentarian was recently sentenced to three years, two months and 12 days on bribery charges. The Court had also ordered in the verdict that MP Qasim must be sent abroad to complete his medical treatment, as advised by doctors.

The Party’s Council Members had met Home Minster Azleen Ahmed on Tuesday and expressed their concerns over the delay in sending the Parliamentarian abroad for medical treatment. Speaking to press outside of Home Ministry after the meeting, Sameer said with this meeting they had renewed hopes that MP Qasim will be sent abroad for the required tests and treatment.

He said the meetings that had lasted for about one and half hours was very successful.

‘They informed that they were making arrangements to fly Qasim abroad for treatment. They’ve filed the necessary paper work to grant him permission to fly. The rest will be done once the permits are approved. Home Minister noted that medical board was not functional due to several issues but assured that those issues will be resolved and that MP Qasim’s case will be expedited,’ Sameer said.

Home Minister Azleen Ahmed had visited the Parliamentarian on Monday night. After local media outlets learned that Azleen had visited Qasim at Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, the Ministry revealed that the Minister and newly appointed Ambassador to Sri Lanka Mohamed H. Shareef had visited Qasim, as special envoys of President Abdulla Yameen.

READ MORE: State has been very caring towards Qasim, will be granted medical "over the next few days," says HM Azleen

MP Qasim had fainted while in Court, while he was heading towards the Court room for the hearings of the attempted bribery charges held last Thursday. He was rushed to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGHM) where he was given emergency treatment. He still remains in IGMH.

Cardiologist Dr. Ali Shafeeq released a letter after observing the Parliamentarian, stating that the MP needed to be flown abroad for several cardiac tests that are not available in the Maldives.

Dr. Ali Shafeeq said the Electro-Physiology Studies (EPS) and Radio Frequency Ablation (ARF) needed to be carried out on the Parliamentarian. Any delays, the letter said, may result in life threatening arrhythmia.

Bribery charges were first raised on MP Qasim on April 12th. The case was thrown out of Court on July 10th, after prosecution lawyers had failed to attend the hearing.

The case was opened again on July 12th, after Criminal Court had thrown out the case. In the hearing of the case on July 25th, Judge Adam Arif had decreed that the charges can be linked to the previous one and that the hearings can proceed ahead. He was sentenced on the charges last Thursday in absentia; a move that was decried by many lawyers, politicians and public.