Current administration is attempting to seize powers by amending laws in a manner that conflicts with the Maldives' legal framework: Nishan

Legal expert Mohamed Nishan Ibrahim has stated that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s administration is attempting to seize powers by amending laws in a manner that conflicts with the Maldives' legal framework.

Speaking on RaajjeTV’s "Fala Surukhee" program, legal counsel Nishan stated that specific considerations must be addressed when drafting laws that could potentially compromise a nation's sovereignty or obstruct the enforcement of its internal legal framework.

Under this treaty, it is an established international legal best practice for diplomatic missions to be granted certain exemptions from the local jurisdiction of the host country within their premises. Even in these instances, as I have noted, this principle is structured in a manner that does not undermine, compromise, or create a conflict with the domestic legal framework of the host nation.

Nishan Ibrahim

Nishan stated that despite the explicit provisions in the law, the current administration is failing to follow them. He further noted that Fushidhiggaru should have been formally designated as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ); however, the project was instead abruptly awarded to a Dubai-based company.

If the President can travel abroad without prior notice or dispatch a delegation to represent the government and sign agreements in such a manner, then it is entirely possible for him to designate inhabited islands as Special Economic Zones (SEZs) while people are still living in their homes.

Mohamed Nishan Ibrahim

Nishan stated that certain laws enacted in the Maldives would not be applicable within Special Economic Zones (SEZs). He further noted that allocating land reclaimed under the guise of providing housing for citizens to foreign entities as an SEZ constitutes a significant violation of legal boundaries.