Former commissioner of police Abdulla Riyaz, now a parliamentarian aligned with the opposition, has expressed concern over what he describes as the police force becoming ‘politicized’.

MP Riyaz said while speaking at a current affairs talk-show on RaajjeTV that the police has been actively targeting those with ideologies different from that of the government, while defending others.

“The police have all the information they need to prosecute those responsible for corrupt practices, they have information on judges and public officials” Riyaz said.

Riyaz further said that this is made apparent by the fact that the Maldives Police Service had cancelled its extension of security to Supreme Court judges while a case involving opposition parliamentarians had been ongoing.

While the parliamentarian said that this was a covert attempt to impose will on the decision court judges, the police likely know what other steps might have been taken in this regard.

Riyaz, also the deputy leader of the Jumhooree Party, further said that criminal and civil cases ongoing in local courts that involve some prominent members of the current government are notably slowed down.