The First Family has announced plans to puruse legal action against several individuals and the opposing Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) for legal rights of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu’s son, Umair Mohamed Muizzu. The decision was announced by the family’s lawyer, former Attorney General Azima Shakoor.
The lawsuit follows statements made by Mandhy Zubair (Mandhy), mother of MDP MP Mikaeel Ahmed Naseem, during an MDP rally last week, claiming that the vape ban in the Maldives was introduced after it came to light that the President’s son used vape. The allegations led to Umar’s photo being shared on social media platforms accompanied with various unfounded allegations against him.
Azima said the President's family has so far decided to pursue legal action against Mandhy, MDP’s Chairperson Fayyaz Ismail and MDP.
According to Azima, legal action is being taken against Mandhy for spreading false information, which has infringed upon Umair’s legal rights and negatively impacted his educational life and social growth through bullying. Legal action is also being taken against Fayyaz for defending Mandhy’s remarks, and against MDP for hosting the rally where the statement was made.
While the First Family will be seeking civil lawsuits, Azima did not disclose the details of the charges. She said the charges will be revealed when the case is submitted to the court.
Before answering questions from journalists, Azima read out a special statement by the President's spouse, First Lady Madam Sajidha Mohamed, which strongly denied the allegations against her son. She expressed her confidence that Umair had never used vape or cigarettes.
Sajida's statement also expressed concern that Umair, who turned 16 this year, has been exposed to harm due to the untrue allegations. The statement also said that she does not support bullying, abuse and violation of the rights of any child.
