Negligence in Rilwan's case 'reason enough to change this government', says lawmaker
MP Imthiyaz Fahmy made the statement at a campaign rally in Gan island of Laamu atoll on Tuesday night
Maafaannu-North constituency MP Imthiyaz Fahmy
The state's negligence in journalist Ahmed Rilwan's abduction case alone is reason enough to change the current administration, says Maafaannu-North constituency MP Imthiyaz Fahmy.
The lawmaker made the statement at a campaign rally in Gan island of Laamu atoll on Tuesday night, as part of the opposition's campaign for September's ballots.
Noting the government's negligence in the missing journalist's case, Fahmy assured that an opposition coalition administration will reopen the investigation and in order to ensure its independency, and 'find out what happened to Rilwan'. Opposition presidential candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has assured this as well.
He said that some of the lawmakers had submitted the journalist's case to three parliament committees, but that they were rejected as all three had a PPM-majority.
While Wednesday marks four years since Rilwan's abduction, jailed former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb on Tuesday released a statement accusing incumbent President Abdulla Yameen of 'overruling' the work initiated by the cabinet, as well as actively obstructing the investigation.
Outraged by his former deputy's claims, President Yameen on Tuesday said that there is 'no doubt' that Rilwan is no more.
However, he changed his statement hours later with his spokesperson saying that the President 'was not proving Rilwan's demise'. He claimed that the 'no doubt' was used in reference to 'how devastated we are', and accused the media of 'twisting' the President's words.
On August 2, Criminal Court acquitted the two suspects in Rilwan's abduction due to insufficient evidence, because of authorities' negligence in the investigation. His family is seeking to raise negligence charges against the Maldives Police Service.
