40 officers to be arrested for challenging unlawful orders; police deny reports

RaajjeMV has learnt that a total of 40 police officers are to be dismissed and subsequently arrested, for allegedly challenging the government’s unlawful orders.

RaajjeMV understands that those to be arrested include administrative officers, special operations (SO) officers and operational officers.

Some senior officers have been arrested since Supreme Court’s ruling on 1st February, for working to implement the controversial order. There are currently eight police officers in custody, while a number of officers, including SO officers, who had chosen to enforce the ruling have been dispatched to other islands.

RaajjeMV also understands that the Maldives Police Service is to start sending operational officers to disperse protesters- and are currently training them- as the government has lost trust in special operations officers.

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Hamdhoon Rasheed continues to meet with SO officers and operational officers weekly.

A credible source told RaajjeMV that officers are being told that no one will ever be able to take action against them for their current actions, and that they can only questioned in the grave.

Maldives Police Service has since denied this, tweeting “this is not true. Please stop spreading false information”.

Police had previously denied working to arrest its former Commissioner Ahmed Areef as well, after he was dismissed for working to enforce the court ruling, with government officials saying that his dismissal was due to failure to answer President Abdulla Yameen’s phone calls. Areef was arrested on Tuesday.