Home Minister Imran Abdulla has stated that former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb “will not be allowed to flee” while abroad for medical purposes, adding that the entire government will be at fault is he does.
While the Maldives Correctional Service (MCS) on Tuesday granted him permission to travel abroad on medical grounds, an emergency motion was submitted to parliament on Wednesday morning by South-Galolhu constituency MP Mickail Naseem, amid fears that he might flee.
The motion was accepted and forwarded to the Committee on National Security and Foreign Relations for further review, who summoned officials from the relevant institutions for questioning in the evening.
Those summoned were; Home Minster Imran, Commissioner of Police Mohamed Hameed, Commissioner of Prisons Abdulla Munaz and Immigration’s head Moosa Rameez.
Speaking at the meeting, the home minister noted that the law states the responsibilities of the relevant institutions in such matters and that they should be investigated in such an instance that they fail and Adeeb were to flee.
“If I have to take responsibility, I will”
However, he assured that none of the institutions under the home ministry will allow such a thing to happen.
Further noting that the former vice president is still being investigated by the police, Imran said that they have- in four months- made more progress in the cases linked to him “than in the past four years.”
“We will not allow him to flee, he will be brought to justice”
However, he said that he believes that if Adeeb flees “it will be a failure of the entire government.”
The minister added that the decision to allow Adeeb to travel abroad was reached “to ensure his basic human rights.”
Also at the Committee, Police Commissioner Hameed said that the institution is conducting the necessary work to send Adeeb abroad for medical purposes.
A such, he said that a police advance team will head to India on Thursday; Adeeb is to travel there on Friday. Hameed said that this team will keep tabs on him by monitoring the hotel he stays at, as well as the institute in which he is seeking treatment.
The Commissioner further added that the team will comprise of a total of seven members; four police officers and three officers from MCS.
Noting that the accusations against Adeeb are of national interest, Hameed said that the police will do everything to ensure his return.
At the meeting, Immigration head Rameez said that Adeeb has been granted a one-year travel document and that he can "only" travel to India through this document.
Noting that they can only issue a one-year travel document at such a short notice, Rameez said that this is the shortest period they can issue.
Commissioner of Prisons, Munaz also gave assurance that Adeeb “will not be given the opportunity to flee.”
