Two high-ranking police officials have been terminated as per the decision made by the Police Board under the new Police Act.
Termination notices were sent to Assistant Commissioner of Police Ahmed Mohamed and Assistant Commissioner of Police Mohamed Jamsheed on September 30 after the Police Board recommended their dismissal. In addition to ACPs Ahmed and Jamsheed, the termination of Assistant Commissioner Faruhad Fikuree, Chief Superintendent Ahmed Shuhad, Chief Superintendent Abdulla Shareef, Superintendent Ismail Shameem and Superintendent Mohamed Dawud are also being sought. Termination notices have been sent to these officers as well.
ACP Ahmed and Jamsheed's termination comes while the officers have challenged the decision to terminate them in Civil Court. The state refused out-of-court mediation for the dispute. Former Deputy Prosecutor General Mariyam Nihayath, who represents the officers on behalf of Dhivehi Chambers, said the judge gave multiple opportunities to the state to settle the matter during the dispute resolution stage on Tuesday. However, the state requested for more time, which the judge denied.
'Since the matter could not be resolved out of court, we will be proceeding with a lawsuit,' said Nihaayath, who has also worked as a Civil Court Judge in the past.
Shuhad and Farhad are not part of the lawsuit.
Dhivehi Chambers said the officers are being terminated in violation of regulations, as they were not given the opportunity to respond before being terminated. The Police Board's recommendation to terminate the officers have been sent to the Parliament' 241 Committee to ensure that their decision is correct.
The Police Board was constituted by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in April this year as per section 75(a) of the Police Service Act. The committee is made up of two members appointed by the president, three members with technical expertise and three members appointed from among the public. They are Ali Faiz, the President of the board, Ahmed Fayaz Hassan, the Vice President of the board, Aishath Noora Mohamed, Ahmed Nashid, Adam Ibrahim, Hamid Abdul Ghafoor and Safa Shareef.
The Police Service Act states that the Police Board, within four months of being constituted, may investigate officers ranked higher than Superintendent who are accused of corruption, using excessive force or carrying out inhumane acts and take action against them. The law also states that the officers may remain on the police force while their investigation is being conducted.
