MP Faris Maumoon, who is spearheading the motion that Qasim Ibrahim is accused of attempting to bribe officials to garner support for, has reassured his commitment to the motion. 

MP Faris told the press following his ‘reform’ partner’s arrest that it was a deliberate move to hinder opposition efforts.  

“This is a cowardly attempt to strong-arm up into ceasing our efforts, there is no stopping it now” he said “The charges against Qasim Ibrahim are baseless”. 

The police apprehend the JP leader on Thursday with a court order issued based on an intelligence report they developed themselves. 

Ibrahim, also the Maamigillil constituency MP, had attempted to bribe lawmakers in order to win the no-confidence vote against parliament speaker Abdulla Maseeh, held on March 27 and an upcoming vote against his deputy.

Transparency Maldives has expressed its concern that state institutions have been working actively to ‘curtail the fundamental rights’ of parties in opposition of the government.