Police negligence in Rilwan's abduction: committee meeting held in secret

Monday’s meeting of the parliament’s committee on national security services, with officials from the National Integrity Commission (NIC), has been held behind closed doors.

The meeting, regarding the murder of journalist Ahmed Rilwan, was scheduled for Monday morning.

The committee members decided to summon NIC officials in September, over its recent ruling that there was no police negligence in Rilwan’s abduction.

While Rilwan was last seen on 8th August 2014, his family had filed a case at the integrity commission in October 2014. NIC said that its investigation did not show any proof of police negligence in the matter, despite the multiple threats reported.

Hulhudhoo constituency MP Ilyas Labeeb had proposed to summon the officials, which was endorsed by North-Galolhu constituency MP and deputy speaker Eva Abdulla. The committee is seeking details on how they came to conclusion that there was no police negligence in the matter, and NIC’s investigation report.

While Rilwan was last seen in August 2014, police confirmed his abduction two years later in 2016. Incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih formed the Commission on Murders and Enforced Disappearances in November, to investigate such cases. Back in September, this commission revealed that Rilwan was killed by an extremist group.

The commission’s draft report also notes that officers from the police’s intelligence unit had sought a copy of Rilwan’s passport at the immigration, after his abduction; then-Immigration Controller Hassan Ali is to have told the commission that their purpose was to “show that Rilwan had died after fleeing to Syria.”

The report also links former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb to the case, with the investigation showing that Adeeb had given the order to seek Rilwan’s passport copy. He is to have also facilitated the release of two suspects in the case.

In addition, the commission noted that the police had followed Rilwan prior to his abduction; they are to have said that this was after threats targeted at the journalist. However, the commission noted inconsistencies in the matter.

Moreover, the Commission on Murders and Enforced Disappearances also revealed that the police had on 24th June 2014 received an intelligence report of a possible abduction from Hulhumalé; the intel report noted that a dinghy was prepared for this, near Hulhumalé. The commission said that this case was later transferred to the police’s political section, who acquired a court order to listen in on Rilwan’s phone calls claiming that he was planning to carry out “acts against the state.”