Opposition Jumhoory Party (JP) leader Gasim Ibrahim on Wednesday urged the opposition coalition not to lose its way by taking the victory in the council elections for granted.
A total of 1,487 candidates had contested the elections for 664 seats including 563 councilors to 179 island councils, 67 councilors to 18 atoll councils and 23 councilors to three city councils.
Main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) backed by the united opposition including Jumhoory Party had secured more than half the seats including the constituencies with the largest populations.
The business magnate however, speaking during an opposition rally hours after the criminal court had lifted the conditions of his release from remand, said the opposition could lose the upper-hand by a single mistake.
"We should not get complacent by this win. We need to sustain our efforts with sincerity. We need to build on this victory," the Maamigili lawmaker said.
The court had lifted all the conditions attached to MP Gasim’s release after his lawyers had appealed to the court to do so on Monday.
The police on May 9, filed a case to the Prosecutor General’s (PG) office seeking to press additional charges against the now-opposition JP leader.
However, PG Aishath Bishaam had sent the case back due to lack of evidence. She noted that the case was sent back on May 10.
Gasim, on 10 May, was granted conditional release from remand by the Criminal Court.
The court’s sanctioned conditions prohibited the seasoned lawmaker from partaking or making public speeches deemed to be inciting discord or allowing others to use his property for such incitements. It also stated that he will need written permission from the police before travelling overseas. Gasim is also to refrain from tempering with the evidence and fully cooperating with the police investigation.
Gasim was remanded twice for a total of 19 days before he was freed by the court under strict conditions after prosecutors sought a third remand extension.
The Maamigili MP was first arrested on April 6 over the bribery allegations made ahead of the censure motion against parliament’s speaker Abdulla Maseeh and undue influence on a state official; however, the high court freed him days later after ruling that he was arrested in violence of due procedure.
Gasim was arrested again over allegations of orchestrating a plot to overthrow the government and remanded for 15 days.
The business magnate had three separate charges levied against him, which include, conspiring to overthrow the government, attempting to bribe government lawmakers ahead of the censure motion against parliament speaker Abdullah Maseeh in late March, and undue influence on a state official over which the trial is currently ongoing at Criminal Court.
