The parliament on Monday kicked out the motion submitted by Jumhoory Party’s deputy leader and Kimbidhoo MP Abdullah Riyaz over his party’s leader and Maamigili MP Gasim Ibrahim not being brought to Monday’s parliament sitting.
The business magnate was taken into custody on Thursday over allegations of bribing a fellow lawmaker and making incitements to overthrow the government.
According to section 205 of parliament’s rules of procedure, if a lawmaker is in remand and awaiting trail, the authorities must make arrangements so that the MP do not miss parliament sittings during his remand period.
Furthermore, the constitution only allows a lawmaker to be arrested from a scene of a crime under an arrest warrant from a superior court, which must be requested directly by the prosecutor general’s office
MP Gasim’s arrest warrant was issued by the criminal court on direct request by the police.
In response to MP Riyaz’s motion, the parliament’s speaker Abdullah Maseeh said that the motion was submitted wrongfully, which is why it was dismissed.
Other members of the opposition’s coalition also expressed discontent over MP Gasim not being allowed to join Monday’s sitting.
MP Gasim’s legal team maintains that the he was remanded based on a police ‘intel report’ which was not backed by any substantial evidence, and that it was a politically motivated arrest, right before the re-vote on the censure motion against the parliament’s speaker.
