PG Bisham absent at inaugural parliament sitting, reports of estrangement amplify

Prosecutor General Aishath Bisham, who revealed her acknowledgement that the state of emergency in the country had been lifted in a letter to the police, did not attend Wednesday’s parliament sitting.

Another attendee at Wednesday’s inaugural sitting for this year’s parliament session, said that the chair reserved for Bisham remained empty since the sitting began and until Parliament Speaker Abdulla Maseeh ended it shortly after.

Her absence has been starkly noted, given the relevance of her office to the ongoing political tension in the Maldives, and the reported support it gave to the government during its controversial imposition of the state of emergency.

It was revealed in a letter she sent to the Maldives Police Service, that her office believes that the state of emergency, announced for a period of 15 days in early February, has ended.

The letter asks the police to release all those detained through the exceptional authority officers had been given during the imposition of the state of emergency.

While still officially unconfirmed, the letter also has Bisham stating that the government’s attempt to extend the state of emergency by a period of thirty days, and the parliament’s support of it is void.

Reports of her impending resignation have also surfaced, given the nature of the letter and her absence at the sitting, which was boycotted by parliamentarians aligned with the opposition, has amplified them.

The Supreme Court’s initial unanimous rulings ordered the Prosecutor General’s Office to ensure that it is enforced and to take legal action against any institution or official that proves to be an obstacle to this.