The Parliament Committee on Member’s Privileges and Ethics today ruled that Deputy Speaker Eva Abdulla and Vilifushi MP Hassan Afeef had violated their parliamentary privileges.
The investigation by the Privileges Committee was initiated following the abrupt conclusion of two parliamentary sessions held today to oversee the no-confidence motion against Speaker Mohamed Nasheed. During the initial session at 9:00 am, MP Hassan Afeef, acting on a point raised by The Democrats, declared that the motion did not meet the necessary requirements, leading to the session's termination. Subsequently, Parliament's Secretary General Fathimath Niusha informed parliamentary group leaders that the resolution was rejected in violation of Parliament rules. Another session was scheduled for 11:30 am, presided over by Deputy Speaker Eva, who also abruptly concluded the session, stating that as the motion has already been rejected during the earlier session, it cannot be pursued unless a new motion is filed.
Following the developments, MDP submitted a disciplinary case against Afeef to the Privileges and Ethics Committee. MDP Parliamentary Group leader Mohamed Aslam argued that Afeef's actions in concluding the morning session violated Parliament rules and infringed on the rights of the entire parliament.
While the committee was ongoing with regard to the complaint on Afeef, Milandhoo MP Ahmed Riza submitted a second complaint regarding Deputy Speaker Eva. Riza contended that the second session was also concluded in violation of Parliament rules, constituting a matter of privilege.
The Privileges Committee, which convened at 12:00 pm today, unanimously passed that Eva and Afeef had violated parliamentary privileges. The committee's decision will now be presented to the Parliament floor, where members will debate on the matter and make a decision on how to proceed by a vote.
