JP leader Qasim Ibrahim arrested
Qasim arrested on bribery charges, attempting to destroy evidence in the case
Qasim Ibrahim arrested on Thursday night
Leader of Jumhooree Party (JP) Qasim Ibrahim has been arrested.
Qasim was arrested on Thursday evening under a court order, as per a police intelligence report.
The order notes that that the Maamigillil constituency MP had attempted to bribe lawmakers in order to win the no-confidence vote against parliament speaker Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed, held on March 27, and is attempting to influence the no-confidence motion against the deputy speaker, which is scheduled for April 11.
It also stated that Qasim has been attempting to influence the security forces as well.
Furthermore, noting that Qasim’s actions show that he is working to unlawfully topple an elected government, the Criminal Court deemed Qasim a threat to national security.
The Maldives Police Service (MPS) also released a statement, regarding Qasim’s arrest, further highlighting the same points in the court order.
Qasim’s arrest comes hours after reports surfaced that the Prosecutor General’s office had decided to resend the case sent against him to the police, noting that such cases are to be investigated by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Following Qasim's arrest, leader of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Mohamed Nasheed condemned the arrest, and called on the people "to come out and protest".
